Calvin Verdonk: The Indonesian National Team Must Be Compact And Aggressive Against Bahrain

Calvin Verdonk assessed that the Indonesian national team was getting stronger ahead of the match against Bahrain (VOI/Ferry Tri Adi Sasono).

JAKARTA - Indonesian national team defender Calvin Verdonk showed high enthusiasm ahead of the match against Bahrain in the Third Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification. For maximum results, he asked the Garuda Squad to appear aggressive in the field.

The Indonesian national team will visit Bahrain headquarters on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at 23.00 WIB. Verdonk considered that aggressiveness was needed because Bahrain had quality players on the front lines.

"I think we have to play together as a team. We also have to play aggressively because they have quality in the front lines. So, I think we have to play together and aggressively," he said in a press conference session ahead of the Bahrain vs Indonesia match, quoted Thursday, October 10, 2024.

Before meeting on the gridiron, the Indonesian national team was classified as having a short time to prepare. However, Verdonk felt it was not a significant problem.

Moreover, currently the material for players has not changed much, even better because of the arrival of two new forces, Mees Hilgers and Eliano Reijnders.

"Previously we had met each other, in the last match too. There were only two (new) players, Mees and Eliano. Each player knows the quality of one another," he said.

"We had a good training session. We'll see what happens later," said Verdonk.

So far, Verdonk has managed to show its quality in guarding the left sector of the Indonesian national team. He even performed solidly when the Garuda Squad managed to keep up with Saudi Arabia and Australia.

With that note, it is not impossible that Verdok will be one of the key players in the Bahrain vs Indonesia match. Strength while defending will be one of the keys whether or not the Indonesian national team can bring home good results from Bahrain headquarters.