TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Football observer Yusuf Kurniawan highlighted the tactics employed by the Indonesian U-23 national team in the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship. According to him, coach Gerald Vanenburg must be careful in selecting the players to play in the final against Vietnam on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
The Indonesian U-23 national team's title match against Vietnam will be held at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, with kick-off scheduled for 8:00 PM WIB (Western Indonesian Time). The match can be watched live on Indosiar or streamed on Vidio.
He hopes that what happened when Indonesia was held to a goalless draw by Malaysia in the final group stage match will not happen in the final. He believes that the attacking system did not work in that match. "We seemed to be making progress, but we couldn't penetrate the opponent's defensive third. Then, when a deadlock occurred, he (Gerald) seemed frustrated and brought on players out of position," said Bung Yuke, as Yusuf is usually called, when contacted by Tempo on Sunday, July 27, 2025.
Yuke also highlighted the last-minute lineup change against Thailand in the semifinals. Gerald made changes, bringing on Muhammad Ferrari, Alfahrezzi Buffon, and Brandon Scheunemann, replacing Maulana Syarif, Rahmat Arjuna Reski, and Dominikus Dion.
According to him, the Dutch coach's actions were driven by frustration, leading him to adopt a pragmatic approach by bringing in larger players to ensure the game ran smoothly. "That can't happen against Vietnam. Vietnam's playing style is similar to Thailand's: strong organization, and good tactical discipline," he said.
He emphasized that the Young Garuda must not make any mistakes in their game plan or tactics. Indonesia's 1-1 draw against Thailand was due to luck. After the draw, Gerald's team eventually won on penalties. "Lady Luck was a factor, too. But it can't always be like that," he said.
Yusuf Kurniawan. twitter.com
Furthermore, Yuke believes Gerald needs a strong defense. He believes Muhammad Ferrari should start alongside Kadek Arel, as both players have experience playing at the senior level. Next, Arkhan Fikri should be placed in the midfield.
Arkhan hasn't played in the last two matches due to injury. However, he's likely to play in the final. Likewise, Toni Firmansyah will be deployed in the midfield alongside Rayhan Hannan if Arkhan recovers. Previously, Gerald had deployed Dominikus Dion in midfield. "Dion looked immature. He lost a lot of balls, which ended up posing a threat to our defense," he said.
According to Yuke, Thailand's goal against Indonesia in the 60th minute of the semifinal match stemmed from a mistake by Dominikus. "He failed to progress, the ball was intercepted, we countered, and we scored," he said.
In that match, the Indonesian U-23 national team equalized through a header from Jens Raven in the 84th minute. The score remained tied until extra time, leading to penalty kicks, and the Garuda Muda won 7-6 in the shootout.
Yuke said Dominikus, whose natural position is left back, was forced to play as a midfielder. He took that position due to injuries to Arkhan and Toni Firmansyah. According to him, Gerald needed to field suitable players to replace Arkhan and Toni when they missed the final against Vietnam.
The situation was different for left back Doni Tri Pamungkas. When played in midfield, which is not his natural position, according to Yuke, Doni performed quite well. He was able to keep up with the game. Furthermore, with Toni's absence, he said, Gerald needed to devise a scenario that would place Doni Tri, Arkhan, and Rayhan Hannan in midfield. Frengky Missa would play at left back and Achmad Maulana at right back. "If you want to be more defensive, put Alfahrezzi Buffon at right back," he said.
Rayhan Hannan would play in midfield alongside Arkhan and Doni Tri. As for the front line, there was no other option but to deploy Jens Raven, Arjuna Reski, and Victor Dethan. "Dethan on the right wing, Arjuna on the left, and Jens Raven in the middle. That's it, play that formation," he said.
According to Yuke, against Thailand, the Garuda Muda seemed to struggle to score from set pieces (free kicks, corner kicks, or throw-ins), except against the Philippines. The goal came when Robi Darwis took a throw-in in the penalty box, resulting in an own goal. When the same pattern was used, the Thai players anticipated it.
For the final match against Vietnam, Yuke believes Gerald needs to play Ferrari early. With his excellent heading ability, he can be relied upon to receive the ball from throw-ins or free kicks. This is due to his experience with the national team. "His headers in front of goal are more useful," he said.
However, Yuke said it all depends on Gerald's choice. According to him, the 61-year-old coach was unique in his player selections in several matches at the 2025 AFF U-23 Championship. The starting eleven was always different and there were always changes.
According to him, Gerald wanted to try out all the players. Against Thailand, the coach again speculated on player placement. He cited the example of two defenders, Brandon and Ferrari, who were not in their natural positions. Brandon was deployed in the middle, while Ferrari played as a shadow striker to Jens Raven. Next, Dominikus and Doni Tri were deployed alongside Rayhan Hannan in the middle. This messed up the formation. "The formation was strange. That shouldn't have happened against Vietnam," said Yuke.
According to him, in several matches the Garuda Muda midfield appeared weak. This problem arose when players played out of position. "We kept losing in the middle because our midfield wasn't a cohesive pairing," he said.
Yuke mentioned the Garuda Muda's difficulty scoring goals, as happened against Malaysia and Thailand despite having numerous opportunities. "The real problem lies in the speed of our players' decision-making. These players are a bit late in progressing," he said.
Look at Thailand's playing pattern. It's similar to futsal. They use one-two touches. They play faster and don't dribble as much. When Garuda Muda progresses from the middle and is about to enter the middle, there's a delay. "The passing isn't fast," he said.
This requires evaluation of players who must move quickly and pass the ball to teammates. They should not hold the ball for long periods of time, ensuring smoother ball circulation. Against Thailand, the Garuda Muda had several scoring opportunities, but were late in making decisions and ultimately delayed in scoring. Because of this delay, the Thai players easily consolidated. "We lost momentum quickly on the counter," said Yuke.
Therefore, according to Yuke, the Garuda Muda players must be quick in distributing the ball and also move more forward off the ball to quickly fill various spaces that can be exploited to create scoring opportunities. "In high-level football, those spaces are very narrow. So, if you're even a second late, passing lanes are closed," he said.
The Garuda Muda also need to anticipate the Vietnamese players. Kim Sang-sik's team played compactly, solidly defensively, and solidly pressed the opposition (middle pressing). They are quite adept at utilizing high balls. "Yesterday, against the Philippines, their crossing was dangerous," said Yuke.
Therefore, Yuke believes the Indonesian U-23 national team needs Ferrari both at the back and up front. He's a more mature player than Kakang Rudianto. Kadek Arel's position must also be maintained. "Ferrari needs to be there, besides defending crosses from Vietnam, he can help on set pieces in front of the penalty box, create crowds, and create chaos," he said.
The Indonesian U-23 national team will be chasing their second AFF U-23 Championship title after winning the competition in 2019 under Indra Sjafri. Two years ago, under Shin Tae-yong, the Garuda Muda reached the final again but lost to Vietnam in a penalty shootout after the match ended scoreless after extra time.
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