The Indonesia Vs Iraq National Team Match Is Predicted To Be Crowded With Opponent Supporters, Shin Tae-yong Is Not Worried

Shin Tae-yong focuses on the performance of the Indonesian national team compared to the atmosphere of the stands (doc. PSSI).

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team coach, Shin Tae-yong, responded casually to the possibility that the match against Iraq would be enlivened by supporters who could cause pressure.

Instead of worrying about it, the South Korean coach chose to focus on the team's performance. Shin Tae-yong responded casually. He was actually happy if the stadium atmosphere was boisterous.

"If Iraqi fans come, it's better for the atmosphere. However, we don't think about it because we focus on our own performance," said Shin Tae-yong when giving a statement quoted on Monday, January 15, 2024.

The 2023 Asian Cup, which was held in Qatar, made it easier for Iraqi supporters to fill the stadium. Geographically, Qatar is closer to Iraqi fans than Indonesian fans.

Even so, Shin Tae-yong prefers to focus on formulating tactics for the Indonesian national team. He did not want the bitter results to be achieved again at this meeting considering that there was a significant distance in terms of FIFA rankings and team performance.

"I have to agree if there is a big gap between Indonesia and Iraq about the ability. However, we are still very young, the youngest team in the group, maybe also weaker," said Shin Tae-yong.

"However, we are building confidence. There is no 100 percent guarantee that we will lose. Nobody knows, I don't know, you don't know, we all don't know, we just try as hard as we can," he said again.

The massive support for Iraq has actually been felt by the Indonesian national team. Before the 2023 Asian Cup, Indonesia and Iraq had met at the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers for the Asian Zone in November 2023.

At that time, the Garuda squad visited Iraq's headquarters at the Basra International Stadium, which was filled with 65 thousand spectators. Shin Tae-yong's team lost 1-5.

This means that the Indonesian national team understands very well how to deal with the atmosphere. It remains only now how to focus on implementing tactics so that the team's performance can be maximized and not lose like the previous meeting.

The Indonesia vs Iraq national team match will be held at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Qatar, on Monday, January 15, 2024, at 21.30 WIB. This party is the first match between the two teams to start their steps in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup.