Physical Problems Are Still A Momok For The Indonesian National Team When Arriving In The 2023 Asian Cup

The Indonesian national team will start the 2023 Asian Cup journey against Iraq (doc. PSSI).

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team will start their journey in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup on January 15, 2024 against Iraq.

Iraq is certainly the first tough opponent before they face Vietnam (19/1/2024) and Japan (24/1/2024).

The Garuda Squad Campaign in the group phase of the 2023 Asian Cup is indeed tough. Opportunities to qualify for the thin knockout round. The only opponent who has a chance to be suppressed is Vietnam.

Shin Tae-yong has a target of winning four points in Group D with details of one win, one draw, and one defeat. The Indonesian national team is targeted to win against Vietnam, draw against Iraq, and lose when they meet Japan.

The South Korean coach's target looks realistic. However, the Garuda Squad must fix the physical problems that have been trained during the training camp since December 20, 2023.

Football observer Ronny Pangemanan saw the most underlined physical condition by Shin Tae-yong before appearing in the 2023 Asian Cup.

"One of Indonesia's weakness is about the physicality of players. This is a long problem. However, when he returned to the club, was this (physical condition) maintained?" said Ronny Pangemanan to VOI.

"This (problem of player physical condition) is actually a basic thing and must be addressed at the club," he said.

The former sports journalist further said that the coaching team must continue to face the players' non-optimal physical conditions.

Just look at the three test matches during the training camp. The Indonesian national team lost twice against Libya (0-4 and 1-2) and Iran with a score of 0-5.

"This is what assistant Shin Tae-yong complained about that the Indonesian national team players' physicality is down. The conditions are also low," he said.

If this physical problem can be resolved during a training camp, it is not impossible that Shin Tae-yong's target will be realized.

Moreover, Shin Tae-yong has also mixed a game scheme with different types of opponents in test matches.

Ropan, as Ronny Pangemanan is called, thinks this is positive considering that the opponents of the Indonesian national team in the 2023 Asian Cup group phase also have different types.

This means that Shin Tae-yong has indeed prepared several schemes to face his opponents. Although three opponents of the group round are quite heavy, Ropan said the coach's scheme that has been well prepared will run optimally with excellent physical support.

"Those opponents (in the 2023 Asian Cup) are not easy. Japan, Iraq, and Vietnam have different types of games. To deal with them, a different scheme is needed."

"However, everything goes back to the physical condition that should be ready to run it (the game scheme from the coach)," said Ropan.

Vietnam as one of the opponents in Group D has participated in the Asian Cup four times. In 1956 and 1960 when they were still named South Vietnam, as well as 2007 and 2019 as Vietnam.

Vietnam's record in the Asian Cup is better than the Indonesian national team. They managed to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2007 Asian Cup and 2019 Asian Cup.

Furthermore, there is Iraq which has even more brilliant achievements with their success in winning the Asian Cup for the first time in 2007. The moment took place at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta.

After the success in 2007, Iraq always managed to qualify for the group stage. They even went to the semifinals in 2015 quarter-finals in 2011.

Then, Japan became the strongest participant in the group as well as a winning candidate. They have a record as four times Asian Cup winners, the record for the most titles.

Samurai Blue is eyeing the fifth Asian Cup title in the 2023 edition.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Asian Cup itself was originally scheduled to take place on 16 June-16 July 2023 in China.

However, on May 14, 2022, the AFC decided that China would no longer host due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On October 17, 2022, the AFC appointed Qatar to host the 2023 Asian Cup.