The Defender's Flexibility, a Key to the Depth of the Indonesia U-23 Squad

At first glance, the Indonesian U-23 team boasts a strong squad, having defeated Thailand 7-6 in a penalty shootout despite two key players missing due to injury. However, upon closer inspection, the Indonesian squad's depth is not so evenly distributed. The "Garuda Muda" are aided by the versatility of their defenders, who can be deployed in any position.

There is no worse news than losing two key players ahead of such an important semifinal match against the formidable Thailand team. The absence of Toni Firmansyah and Arkhan Fikri, who are the backbone of Indonesia's midfield, significantly undermines the team's depth.

Toni's position is very central as a defensive midfielder. His ability to read attacks and serve as a protector for the four defenders has yet to be replaced.

In the definitive roster of 23 players, Coach Gerald Vanenburg only has four players positioned as midfielders. The injuries to Arkhan and Toni have left the midfielder stock with only Rayhan Hannan (attacking midfielder) and Robi Darwis (defensive midfielder). This means that Vanenburg, who prefers to implement a 4-3-3 formation, is still lacking one player to fill the midfield position.

The final choice fell on Dominikus Dion. The PSS Sleman defender was forced to fill the void left by Toni. He and Robi partnered as a double pivot. Playing as a defensive midfielder was relatively new for Dion, who has traditionally operated as a winger throughout his professional career.

Dion's versatility is just one example of how the Indonesian U-23 team's depth is greatly aided by the versatility of its defenders. This is partly due to Vanenburg's decision to call up more defenders than midfielders and forwards.

Vanenburg has included a total of eight defenders in the definitive team lineup. There are four wingers and two players in the forward position.

The presence of versatile defenders provides significant advantages to Indonesia. The most fitting example to illustrate the substantial contributions of these defenders occurred when Indonesia fell behind due to a goal by Yotsakorn Burapha in the 60th minute. Vanenburg responded by substituting three players simultaneously, namely Alfharezzi Buffon, Muhammad Ferarri, and Brandon Scheunemann.

Buffon replaced Achmad Maulana, whose stamina had been significantly depleted after frequently moving up and down to assist in the attack. An unusual decision was made by Vanenburg by placing Ferarri as an attacking midfielder as well as a forward, instead of his original position as a central defender.

"The scenario of Ferarri becoming a striker was not part of our previous training sessions. However, we needed goals. So we decided to include many players with tall stature. It turned out we could score, and we are very pleased with that decision," said Indonesia U-23 Assistant Coach Frank Van Kempen, who replaced Vanenburg during the post-match press conference at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Friday (25/7/2025) evening.

Brandon was suddenly assigned as a defensive midfielder, even though his natural position is center back.

Nevertheless, all the defenders who played in emergency positions were able to perform well. The evidence is that Indonesia's attacks became more vibrant. The peak came when Indonesia managed to equalize through a header from Jens Raven six minutes before the end of the second half.

Jens finally scored again after his last goal in the 8-0 thrashing of Brunei Darussalam in the first group stage match. The new Bali United striker scored a double hat trick.

Jens' performance declined after that, failing to score against higher quality opponents such as the Philippines and Malaysia.

His goal against Thailand seemed to be proof that his sharpness hasn't diminished. However, Jens' goal once again emphasized that Indonesia still relies heavily on set pieces to score goals.

When facing teams of equal quality, Indonesia has yet to score a goal from open play. This remains a concern for Vanenburg. He previously highlighted the weakness of key passes in the final third of the game.

In the final, Indonesia will face Vietnam, which eliminated the Philippines with a score of 2-1 in another match. The match against Vietnam will be a repeat of the final of the 2023 ASEAN U-23 Championship. Playing at home, Indonesia is eager to avenge the defeat against Vietnam in the final two years ago.

"We're the hosts here. Don't let them (Vietnam) trample on our home ground. So, if they play hard there (in the 2023 final in Thailand), we'll play hard here. That doesn't mean injuring each other. We shouldn't injure each other. But it does mean we have to be brave and play hard too," said PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir.

Indonesia is likely to still be without Arkhan in the final. The conditions of Toni and Jens are still being monitored. Jens is experiencing issues with his leg, causing him to limp towards the end of the match. The loss of Jens, who is the top scorer, will be very detrimental to Indonesia.

However, considering that Indonesia has a versatile player. It is not impossible that they will once again be relied upon to seize the second title for Indonesia after last achieving it in the 2019 edition.