Challenged by Thailand, it's time for Indonesia to make a change of appearance at the ASEAN U-23 Championship.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The support of tens of thousands of home supporters is always a terror for the visiting team. However, the "Young War Elephants" actually want to face that terror when they meet Indonesia in the semifinals of the ASEAN U-23 Championship 2025 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, on Friday (25/7/2025) at 20:00 WIB. Meanwhile, for Indonesia, the duel against Thailand is a moment to transform from a previously blunt team into a sharper attacking force.

In every tournament event, participating teams generally hope to avoid facing the host team. However, the Thai team is quite the opposite. The team, coached by Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, actually wishes to meet Indonesia as soon as possible. The reason is that competing under the pressure of thousands of home supporters will serve as a good test for the young Thai players.

Ongtrakul, who has been in charge of the U-23 Thailand team for less than a month, is still trying to find the most suitable formula for his team. Securing one victory against Timor Leste and drawing against Myanmar in the final group stage match has left the Thai public dissatisfied. Thai media have begun to publish reports questioning the effectiveness of Ongtrakul's playing system.

"The sooner we meet the host team, the better we can gauge our team's potential. Because if we want to be champions, we must be able to overcome this obstacle," said Ongtrakul as quoted from the social media account of the Thailand national team.

Under the guidance of Ongtrakul, Thailand has not become a particularly special team. Among the four semifinalists, Thailand recorded the lowest number of accurate shots, totaling 11. This number is still lower than Vietnam, which also played two matches in the group stage. Of those 11 shots, Thailand has only managed to score four goals so far, while Vietnam has collected five goals.

Although Thailand's performance is not particularly special, Indonesia must not underestimate them, as the "Garuda Muda" also faces issues similar to those of Thailand. Since defeating Brunei Darussalam with a score of eight goals to none, Indonesia has lost its sharpness, managing only a narrow 1-0 victory over the Philippines and being held to a 0-0 draw by Malaysia.

The final resolution and creativity in the third area of the field remain an enigma that Indonesian Coach Gerald Vanenburg has yet to solve. Moreover, Indonesia will not be reinforced by Arkhan Fikri, who is the main playmaker of the team.

Robi Darwis, Toni Firmansyah, and Rayhan Hannan have the opportunity to fill the position left by Arkhan. Among the three, Robi has a more impressive statistical record with nine key passes made.

Whoever is ultimately chosen to take on the role of Arkhan must respond to the trust placed in them by the coach. The reason is that facing Thailand is the right moment for Indonesia to transform if it still aspires to win the ASEAN U-23 Championship for the second time.

"I think we still lack sharpness in the final third. Jens (Raven) is faster. He usually finds it easier to shoot, but not anymore. We need to perform better against Thailand," said Vanenburg.

The Garuda Muda team must be wary of the speed of Thailand's wingers. Like Indonesia, Thailand struggles to create opportunities from the central corridor. Therefore, Thailand tends to rely more on the penetration of winger Thanawut Phochai on the left side of the attack. Consequently, Indonesia's right-back, Alfharezzi Buffon, has a heavy task to stop Phochai's maneuvers.

"For tomorrow's match, I believe all the players are ready. Both physically and mentally, all the players are prepared. Therefore, I feel that for tomorrow's match, all the players are indeed ready," said Alfharezzi during the press conference ahead of the match, Thursday (24/7/2025).

Both Indonesia and Thailand are struggling to score goals against opponents of equal quality, sharing another common thread. While other semifinalists, Vietnam and the Philippines, have already conceded goals, Indonesia and Thailand have maintained clean sheets. This fact serves as a particular motivation for Indonesia's striker, Jens Raven, who is the tournament's top scorer.

If able to break through Thailand's goal, it will serve as a kind of proof for Raven, whose quality is still in doubt as he has only managed to score many goals against the weak team of Brunei Darussalam.

Although still facing issues in scoring goals, at least the morale of the Indonesian players has been somewhat lifted by a more favorable meeting record. Throughout their encounters with Thailand in the ASEAN U-23 Championship, Indonesia has never lost.