Radja Nainggolan Debuts In Bhayangkara FC Not As Starter, Mario Gomez Calls It A Strategy

Radja Nainggolan finally debuted with Bhayangkara FC (Instagram/@bhayangkarafc).

JAKARTA - Former AS Roma player, Radja Nainggolan, finally made his debut as the new player of Bhayangkara FC. Mario Gomez as the coach commented on the appearance of the new player.

Radja Nainggolan finally won the trust to appear for Bhayangkara FC against Persita Tangerang in the 23rd week of Liga 1 2023/2024.

Even though he was not included in the starter, Radja Nainggolan got off the reserve seat to replace Muhammad Ragil in the 55th minute.

The former Inter Milan performance had threatened the Cisadane Warriors' defense by opening fire from outside the penalty box which was still able to be held by goalkeeper Kartika Ajie.

Seeing Radja Nainggolan's movement in the match which was held on Sunday, December 17, 2023, the Bhayangkara FC coach, Mario Gomez, admitted that the player had good individual qualities.

However, he hopes the former AS Roma player will be able to catch up in order to appear for 90 minutes.

"In general, the game is pretty good, but he has to do more training to catch up with his teammates."

"He has to work hard to be able to play for 90 minutes," Mario Gomez said in a media release from Bhayangkara FC quoted on Monday, December 18, 2023.

Regarding the opportunity for Radja Nainggolan, who was only able to make his debut in the second half of the reserve seat, Gomez admitted that this was his strategy.

"I'm really waiting for the right moment to play Radja. Playing in the second half I think it was the right decision because the team also played well so that Radja's entry could increase the team's collectivity," said the coach.

In the match against Persita Tangerang, Bhayangkara FC successfully won convincingly with a score of 3-0 at Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Bekasi.

The Guardians' opener was scored by Anderson Salles in the 27th minute. Meanwhile, the other two goals were scored by Junior Brandao in the 84th and 94th minutes.

The three additional points made Bhayangkara FC not move from 18th position in the 2023/2024 Liga 1 standings. They are now collecting 15 points. That number is 10 points adrift of the last team to occupy the safe zone.