Alkass Digital
Indonesia have to focus on long-term development as well as results, according to head coach Shin Tae-yong, whose side are preparing to take on Iraq in Group D of the AFC Asian Cup™ Qatar 2023 on Monday.
Team Garuda are the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament, sitting just five places above 150th ranked Hong Kong, China in the most recent FIFA rankings, with their upcoming opponents nearly 80 places above them, but Shin insists his side cannot afford to just sit deep and defend.
“There is a big gap in ranking between us and Iraq, our capabilities are different, and everyone knows it,” said the Korean tactician.
“But we are still a young team; the youngest in the group, but we have massive potential. We are building up not only our potential, but also our results. Nobody knows what can happen tomorrow.”
“Even though we are the lowest ranked team in our group, if we only sit back and defend, Indonesian football will not develop. We want to follow the trends of modern football, we want to do our best in build-up from the back and everything. Our tactics will focus on developing Indonesian football, not just on results.”
Indonesia were on the losing end of a 5-1 scoreline against Iraq when the two sides last met in November in the Preliminary Joint Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2027, but Shin expects his team to show a completely different side at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Monday.
“We played against Iraq in their own country and the conditions weren’t good for us. The schedule worked against us due to the U17 World Cup, we took a long journey and didn’t prepare well, but we accepted the result. We still didn’t have enough time to prepare this time, but we are in a much better position now and you can expect more from us.”
For Iraq head coach Jesus Casas, the team’s opening match could be decided through small details against a side in which he sees many similarities with his own.
“All matches are different, we played two months ago in Basra, but the atmosphere was different, it was more comfortable for us,” said the Spanish coach.
“Tomorrow will be a different match because in short tournaments there are a lot of factors; all it takes is a penalty, a red card, some nervous moments, and everything changes.”
“Indonesia, like us, are a national team that is growing, carrying players from Europe and it will be difficult. We want to win, but it will not be easy. Indonesia will want to avenge their last defeat, so I told the players to be focused and play at 100%, otherwise it will not be an easy match for us.”
With doubts over the availability of defender Saad Natiq for the first match, Casas remained focused on the bigger picture, confirming he has no qualms about resting a player if it helps him be available for the remaining matches.
“There are a lot of factors to decide our starting XI, it’s not all about the last two matches. Of course the players who played the friendlies have more chances, but it’s not the only decisive factor.”
“He is available, he was injured for 3-4 days, and we have to think about his situation tomorrow, because it is a short tournament and one injury now could mean the end of his tournament, so we have to decide.”
Indonesia v Iraq
Venue: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
Kick-off: 17:30 (UTC+3)