Shin Tae-yong's Reason For Not Calling Stefano Lilipaly To The Indonesian National Team

Lilipaly's staff again is no longer Shin Tae-yong's choice in the Indonesian national team for the 2023 Asian Cup (Instagram/@zitolilipaly).

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team coach, Shin Tae-yong, opened his voice about his decision not to include Stefano Lilipaly on the Indonesian national team's list of players to prepare for the 2023 Asian Cup. The player's condition is the main reason.

A total of 29 players have been called by Shin Tae-yong to conduct training camps (TC) in Turkey starting December 20, 2023. However, on that list, there is no Stefano Lilipaly's name. In fact, his performance in the domestic league is shining.

Being part of Borneo FC, Lilipaly was able to lead his team to the top of the 2023/2024 Liga 1 standings. Lilipaly even managed to record nine goals and 11 assists from 23 appearances.

The note made Stefano Lilipaly even the most fertile local player in Liga 1 2023/2024. He also leads the list of the most assists.

However, that record was apparently not enough to make Shin Tae-yong look at the 33-year-old player. Regarding this, Shin Tae-yong apparently had his own reasons.

Overall, Shin did not deny that Lilipaly was a good player in terms of appearance.

However, seeing the considerations of potential opponents to be faced in the 2023 Asian Cup, the coach has a defense as to why he did not include Lilipaly.

Stefano Lilipaly is a very good player in the league. I also see his performance is very good in his team. "

"Against the team above us (at the 2023 Asian Cup) we will definitely be very tired," said Shin Tae-yong in his statement when met in the Central Jakarta area on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.

Shin Tae-yong revealed that Lilipaly's condition was not without reason. The South Korean coach said that the experience of several times witnessed the player's performance firsthand so that he could judge.

"In recent years I have had the opportunity to see him (Stefano Lilipaly) firsthand, but for this Asian Cup it seems physically difficult for him," Shin Tae-yong added.

Since the Indonesian national team was trained by Shin Tae-yong, the name Lilipaly rarely gets a call. The former Bali United player even appeared six times during the STY coaching period.

Lilipaly was also not called up in the last four matches of the Indonesian national team. Shin Tae-yong prefers much younger players, such as Saddil Ramdani, Egy Maulana Vikri, and Witan Sulaeman.

Regarding Shin Tae-yong's consideration of Lilialy's performance, this is directly proportional to the position of the Indonesian national team in the 2023 Asian Cup. The Garuda squad is in Group D with Japan, Vietnam, and Iraq.