COACH The U-23 Indonesian National Team, Shin Tae-yong, said there were factors that made the Garuda Muda squad feared to fail to win the 2021 SEA Games. According to Shin Tae-yong, it was not because of the strength of opponents such as Thailand and Vietnam that made the Garuda Muda squad fail to win.
Shin Tae-yong is afraid that Witan Sulaeman and his friends will be late in adapting, be it the weather, the field or the busy schedule. He is afraid that the Garuda Muda squad will be late in adapting because they have lost the momentum of the tight competition.
(Witan Sulaeman, the goal machine for the U-23 Indonesian National Team at the 2021 SEA Games)
Just to note, Liga 1 2021-2022 ends at the end of March 2022. Since March 2022 until now, players who play domestically do not feel the atmosphere of competition.
This is different from other strong countries, where their competition is taking place when the 2021 SEA Games are rolling. As a result, the feeling of competition from the Vietnam U-23 National Team, Malaysia or even Thailand is stronger than the Garuda Muda squad.
So far, the U-23 Indonesian National Team has been assisted by the mentality of players who have played abroad, such as Egy Maulana Vikri and Witan Sulaeman. It is evident from the four goals made by Indonesian U-23 National Team personnel at the 2021 SEA Games, three of which were packaged by overseas players.
Egy Maulana Vikri recorded one goal. Meanwhile, Witan Sulaeman scored two goals.
“The next two games against the Philippines and Myanmar are very important. How many points we win does not determine the qualification of the Indonesian U-23 national team to the next round, “said Shin Tae-yong quoting Vietnamese media, Zing News.
“The most important thing is that we have to adapt to the weather, the pitch and the schedule. In the last two months, the Indonesian U-23 national team players did not feel much competition, considering that the competition had ended,” continued Shin Tae-yong.
To qualify for the 2021 SEA Games semifinals, the U-23 Indonesian National Team must wipe out the remaining two matches in the group phase with a win. After facing the Philippines on Friday, May 13, 2022, the U-23 Indonesian National Team will meet Myanmar on Sunday, May 15, 2022.
