Nathan Tjoe- A-On Comes, Pratama Arhan Talks About Competition In The Indonesian National Team

Nathan Tjoe-A-On competed with Pratama Arhan at the left-back post of the Indonesian national team (Instagram/@nathantjoeaon).

JAKARTA - The presence of Nathan Tjoe-A-On in the ranks of the Indonesian national team players is a new color. Shin Tae-yong clearly has a positive option.

However, it is undeniable that the competition of players, especially on the left side of the defense, is getting tighter.

Nathan Tjoe-A-On added to the list of players with left-back positions in the Indonesian national team after officially completing its naturalization in early March 2024.

Before Nathan, the position was filled by Shayne Pattynama, Yakob and Yance Sayuri, and Pratama Arhan.

The arrival of the new player in that position could make Pratama Arhan's position as the main left-back of the Indonesian national team threatened.

Regarding this situation, Arhan apparently has his own views. The Suwon FC player was not worried about the competition in the Indonesian national team in line with the arrival of Nathan Tjoe-A-On.

"The competition is very good. Our competition is very neutral, positive. I also have a lot of shortcomings," said Pratama Arhan at the National Team Media Day event in Central Jakarta, Tuesday, March 19, 2024.

Instead of thinking about competition, the former PSIS Semarang player actually welcomed the presence of naturalized players in the Indonesian national team.

Arhan said, the presence of experienced players in Europe could actually be an event to add knowledge.

"I also have to learn from other players like Nathan. I have to be able to take knowledge. So, in my opinion, this is a very good and positive competition," said Arhan.

Meanwhile, Arhan also emphasized that currently local players and naturalized players in the Indonesian national team have increasingly shown solidarity.

"Now, naturalized players and local Indonesian players are already very compact, joining, talking a lot, a lot of communication. So, the benefits are for the Indonesian national team," said Arhan.

Currently, 26 players have been called by Shin Tae-yong to the Indonesian national team. They have been in training camps (TC) since March 18, 2024.

The agenda was held in preparation for Vietnam in the second round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification in the Asian Zone.

The Indonesian national team will face Vietnam on March 21, 2024 at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta. Then, on March 26, it was Garuda Squad's turn to visit My Dinh Stadium.