Shin Tae-yong Focuses On Preparing Teams To Win Against Japan, Regardless Of Other Match Results

Shin Tae-yong focused on preparing the Indonesian national team to win against Japan (doc. PSSI).

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team will undergo a crucial match against Japan in the last match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup at Al Thumama Stadium, Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 18.30 WIB.

Garuda's squad position in the standings is quite precarious. They are in third place with a collection of three points, the same as Japan's. However, the Blue Samurai are ahead on goal difference.

In addition, the position of the Indonesian national team in the third best line is also on the brink after the victory of Palestine and Syria. Currently, Shin Tae-yong's team is on the fourth ladder of the route or the last ticket to the knockout phase.

Oman dan Bahrain menjadi ancaman yang punya kans menggusurkan Timnas Indonesia dari empat besar jalur peringkat ketiga terbaik mengingat kedua tim tersebut masih punya satu laga tersisa.

Even so, Shin Tae-yong didn't want to bother. He emphasized that he focused first on preparing the team to win against Japan and not paying attention to other matches.

"We do have a lot of scenarios to get to the round of 16. Of course I would be very happy if we could get to the last 16 before playing the match against Japan."

"However, I don't think about it. I just think about how we will play the match against Japan. Some technical preparations and some details. I don't care about the results of other teams," said the South Korean coach.

Victory is Shin Tae-yong's main target. Even though Japan has a tough opponent and can be a tackle to realize the target, he still has optimism for his team.

"Of course, Japan is the highest team in the AFC, team number one. Maybe this will be a difficult battle for us, but we want to show a good performance."

"So far we have prepared well. I want to show that Indonesian football has developed well," said Shin Tae-yong.

For information, Japan is the number one team in Asia today. Based on FIFA's ranking, as of December 2023, Japan was ranked 17th, or the highest among other Asian countries.

The team nicknamed Samurai Biru has also regularly appeared in the World Cup since the 1998 edition. They have never been absent in the last seven editions (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022).

In participating in the Asian Cup, Japan is also the collector of the most titles. They won four times in 1992, 2000, 2004, and 2011.

However, Shin Tae-yong hopes that the Indonesian national team players will not be inferior to this record.

Shin Tae-yong and the Red-White player want to prove that the level of Indonesian football is showing better progress. Opportunities still exist, nothing is impossible in football.