Shin Calls The Physical Condition Of Indonesian National Team Players Not Yet Maximal

JAKARTA - Indonesian national team coach Shin Tae-yong said the physical condition of his squad was not optimal, so he had to replace several pillar players in the second round of the 2022 AFF Cup Group A match against Cambodia, Friday.

"Overall, the team's performance is not optimal and physically not optimal. I also made the decision to replace these players," Shin said after the match against Cambodia at the Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, citing Antara.

In the match that Indonesia won with a score of 2-1, Shin pulled out his mainstay players Egy Maulana, Asnawi Mangkualam, Pratama Arhan and Witan Sulaeman in the second half of the match.

As a result, the flow of Indonesia's attacks decreased which made the squad nicknamed Garuda unable to score goals after the break.

According to Shin, the policy had to be taken to maintain the fitness of his foster children.

The player's lack of maximum physicality, the South Korean tactician continued, occurred due to a lack of playing hours for his team at club level after they competed against Curacao at the end of September 2022.

"Our players have not competed since two to four months after the match against Curacao. For example, Pratama Arhan and Asnawi Mangkualam were injured," said Shin.

Usai menghadapi Curacao, Pratama Arhan belum pernah bermain lagi untuk klubnya Tokyo Verdy di Liga 2 Jepang.

Asnawi has only competed once for his team Ansan Greeners in Liga 2 South Korea after the match versus Curacao.

In addition, the competition in Indonesia, namely Liga 1 for the 2022-2023 season, also stopped on October 2-4 December 2022 following a bloody incident at the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang.

However, Shin Tae-yong still believes that the physical quality of his players will continue to improve over time.

"I'm sure in the future it will be better," said the South Korean national team coach at the 2018 World Cup.

The Indonesian national team started its work in the 2022 AFF Cup by winning the Group A match against Cambodia 2-1 at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, Friday (23/12).

Two Indonesian goals were scored by Egy Maulana Vikri and Witan Sulaeman. Meanwhile, Cambodia reduced the position through Saret Krya.

Victory over Cambodia makes Indonesia occupy third place in the 2022 AFF Cup Group A standings with three points from one match and a goal difference of +1.

Next, Indonesia will travel to Brunei Darussalam headquarters, Monday (26/12), at Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Malaysia, starting at 17.00 WIB.