BRI Super League: Time for Coaches to Adopt an Offensive Philosophy to Succeed

The last three editions of Indonesia's top competition, known as Liga 1, have been dominated by teams coached by pragmatically philosophical trainers. PSM Makassar under Bernardo Tavares, followed by Bojan Hodak leading Persib Bandung to victory, achieved success without the embellishment of an attacking style characterized by superior ball possession in every match.

PSM has established itself as the champion of Indonesia for the 2022-2023 season with an average ball possession of only 43 percent per game. The "Juku Eja" team, with the lowest ball possession percentage, managed to become champions while also securing the highest points in the era of Liga 1. They collected 75 points over 34 matches.

Persib, meanwhile, transformed into a team focused on controlling the game, with Luis Milla prioritizing victory under Hodak's guidance. With 46 percent possession per match in 2023-2024 and 49 percent possession per match in 2024-2025, Persib secured back-to-back championships.

Tavares and Hodak will still be seen on the sidelines with their respective teams in the BRI Super League 2025-2026. Both coaches have even become the longest-serving coaches for a club in this edition of Indonesia's top-tier competition.

It is recorded that Tavares, who hails from Portugal, has been in charge of PSM for approximately 3 years and 3 months. Hodak, with Persib, has also entered his second year.

Loyalty to the club, demonstrated by the trophies won, indicates that the two tacticians possess added value. Both have their own strategies to outsmart opponents who dominate ball possession.

PSM, for instance, when they became champions, was known for an effective counter-attack scheme that relied on wing players. Yakob and Yance Sayuri, along with Kenzo Nambu, were key players for PSM three seasons ago.

Tavares also built the squad with a focus on solid defense. The presence of center-back Yuran Fernandes and goalkeeper Reza Arya is key to Juku Eja's success. Although they failed to become champions in the last two seasons, PSM remains among the top three teams with the fewest goals conceded.

Judging by the squad composition for the 2025-2026 season, the other 17 teams in the Super League will struggle to keep up with Dewa.

Meanwhile, Persib also enjoys punishing opponents with fast breaks, boasting players capable of making a difference, such as Beckham Putra, Ciro Alves, and David da Silva. Entering the 2025-2026 season, Alves and Da Silva left Bandung to continue their adventure with Malut United.

Similar to Tavares, Hodak also developed "Maung Bandung" into a team with a solid and difficult-to-breach defense. Last season, Persib conceded only 33 goals, second only to Dewa United (32 goals conceded). This figure improved compared to the 40 goals conceded in the 2023-2024 season.

If we look at the strength of the squad based on the market value compiled by Transfermarkt, Persib and PSM can be considered championship contenders. Persib is in second place with the highest squad value amounting to Rp 3.09 billion. PSM is in third place with the highest squad value thanks to Rp 2.48 billion.

Only Dewa is above the two recent champions. The Banten Warriors' squad value reaches Rp 3.63 billion. Unsurprisingly, Dewa is the most expensive team to start the Indonesian League season since Transfermarkt has recorded squad market values.

So, can Dewa become the new champion in the Indonesian competition?

Looking at the squad composition for the 2025-2026 season, the other 17 teams in the Super League will struggle to keep up with Dewa. However, a costly squad and a great coach in Jan Olde Riekerink do not guarantee that Dewa will lift the trophy in May 2026. They need consistency and luck.

In the last season, Dewa finished the season in second place, eight points behind Persib. Nevertheless, Egy Maulana Vikri and his teammates have demonstrated a championship-worthy performance.

They are the team with the highest ball possession in Liga 1 2024-2025. On average, Dewa recorded 59 percent ball possession per match. This figure increased from an average of 53 percent ball possession per match in 2023-2024.

Dewa also holds the record for the most goals scored (65 goals) and the fewest goals conceded (32). Dewa's goalkeeper, Sonny Stevens, is the goalkeeper with the highest number of clean sheets (15 matches).

The 2025-2026 season has the potential to be a turning point for Dewa. If they can become champions, Dewa has the opportunity to open a new chapter of dominance in Indonesian competition.

In addition to still being with Riekerink as the coach, the depth of the Dewa squad has significantly increased this season. Dewa experienced some instability at the beginning of the season when Alex Martins was injured, and then Egy also had to be sidelined in the latter half of the season when the championship race was intense.

Now, Dewa has Privat Mbarga, Rafael Struick, and Stefano Lilipaly, to provide numerous alternative goal sources for Banten Warriors. In the defense line, they also received significant reinforcement thanks to the presence of Nick Kuipers, who was key to Persib's consecutive championships.

With Riekerink's attacking style of play, Dewa is the strongest candidate to break the tradition of pragmatic teams winning the Indonesian League.

Three other coaches who could potentially bring anomalies to the champion teams by playing pragmatically are Edu Perez (Persebaya Surabaya), Johnny Jansen (Bali United), and Mauricio Souza (Persija Jakarta).

Perez hails from Spain and considers Milla, the former coach of the Indonesian national team and Persib, as his close mentor. Although he has not yet recorded any notable experience as a head coach, his experience as Milla's assistant brings hope for "Bajul Ijo," under Perez's guidance, to perform in a more entertaining and attacking manner compared to the era of Paul Munster last season.

Jansen, who managed PEC Zwolle in the Dutch League last season, is also known as a coach who likes to maintain control of the game. With Zwolle in the 2024-2025 Dutch League, Jansen led his team to achieve an average of 51 percent ball possession per match.

The 4-3-3 formation that he favors reflects Bali's gameplay, which is expected to be more attacking under Jansen's management. Bali possesses the resources for offensive play through fast wing players such as Thijmen Goppel, Irfan Jaya, and Rahmat Arjuna, as well as quality strikers, namely Boris Kopitovic and Jens Raven.

Souza has finally returned to Indonesia after previously leading Madura United to reach the Championship Series 2023-2024. During the regular season, Souza, who hails from Brazil, guided Madura to become the team with the highest average possession, boasting a collection of 57 percent ball possession per match.

Certainly, with the prestigious name and massive ambitions of Persija, Souza is at the right club to deliver positive results in line with the offensive performance of his team. The attacking play of Persija, reminiscent of the Thomas Doll era, is likely to be witnessed again by The Jakmania, the loyal supporters of Persija.

However, regardless of the playing style implemented by each coach for their team in the BRI Super League 2025-2026, ultimately, the champion club is the one that can maintain consistency and demonstrate a champion's mentality. Persib and PSM have already shown this. Now, it is time for other teams to prove themselves.