BRIMMING WITH TALENT
In terms of raw footballing talent, Indonesia has never had it so good. Homegrown stars like Marselino Ferdinan, who scored twice to stun Saudi Arabia in a 2-0 victory last November, have been complemented by the naturalisation of players with Indonesian heritage born abroad, most often in the Netherlands.
To name a few, Mees Hilgers plays for Twente in the top Dutch league while Nathan Tjoe-A-On competes in second division English football with Swansea City. Jay Idzes is a starter for Venezia in the Serie A.
The defenders have secured noteworthy clean sheets against Australia and Saudi Arabia in the team’s progress towards World Cup qualification, with Idzes wearing the captain’s arm band during several recent matches. Thom Haye, who also plays in the Dutch league, was on the scoresheet in two separate qualifiers, against the Philippines and China.
Still, given the personnel at Indonesia’s disposal, PSSI came to the decision that the team’s recent form has not been good enough. Other than the surprise win over former Asian champions Saudi Arabia, it had lost heavily against powerhouse Japan and dropped points unnecessarily against Gulf minnow Bahrain.
PSSI concluded that the national team lacks a footballing philosophy and sufficient tactical nous. Game management in particular had been underwhelming. Fan favourite Shin Tae-yong was thus relieved of his position as head coach on Jan 6.
