Hokky Caraka Joins Indonesian U-23 National Team, PSS Sleman Coach: Losing an Important Player

PSS Sleman coach, Risto Vidakovic, felt he lost an important player when Hokky Caraka joined the U-23 Indonesian National Team / Photo: PSSI

PSS Sleman coach, Risto Vidakovic, felt he lost an important player when Hokky Caraka joined the Indonesian U-23 National Team. He said that Hokky’s role was still very much needed to navigate the remaining League 1 2023/2024 matches.

Hokky is on the list of players called by coach Shin Tae-yong to undergo the U-23 Indonesian National Team training camp (TC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The TC is preparation for the Garuda Muda Squad in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup.

This situation made PSS Sleman feel disadvantaged. Because, the team nicknamed Super Elja will most likely not be strengthened by Hokky until the end of the 2023/2024 Liga 1 season. Remember, the U-23 Asian Cup which will be held in Qatar will take place from April 15 to May 3.

As a coach, Vidakovic admits that this is very detrimental because currently PSS Sleman is struggling to stay away from the relegation zone. What’s more, he doesn’t have many choices in the attacking position. According to him, Hokky has found a form of play and a sharp instinct for scoring goals in the last few matches with Super Elja.

“For me, the most important and difficult thing is losing an important player. Hokky for us is an important player, he plays in every match, he is always in the first eleven,” said Vidakovic, quoted from the official PSS Sleman website.

“For other teams, some teams have national team players, they have more than one but they don’t fight for anything in the last weeks of the competition,” he continued.

“We are still fighting to escape relegation. For us, Hokky is a very important player, without him I think we would miss a lot,” explained the 55 year old coach.

For your information, PSS Sleman is currently struggling to stay away from the relegation zone. Super Elja currently sits in 14th position with a collection of 32 points. They are only one point away from Arema FC who are at the end of the red zone or ranked 16th.

Meanwhile, closest PSS Sleman will play Arema FC at Manahan Stadium, Solo, Monday (15/4/2024). Vidakovic’s troops clearly need a win to maintain their hopes of remaining competitive in League 1 next season.

(fly)

2024-04-08 01:08:08
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