Failing to Win ASEAN Championships: A Big "Blessing" for Indonesia U-23

The Japanese nation has a very poignant proverb regarding failure. When someone falls seven times, they should rise eight times. Through this proverb, we are taught never to lose our spirit even when at our lowest point. The failure of Indonesia's U-23 team at the ASEAN Championship is indeed painful. However, within it lies a significant "blessing" for the long-term journey of "Garuda Muda."

The feelings of Indonesian supporters were deeply hurt upon realizing that there were less than five minutes left in the final match, while the players on the field were still struggling to break through Vietnam's defensive barrier. One by one, the supporters began to leave their seats and exit the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, even though the match had not yet fully concluded. This scene illustrated their disappointment after failing to witness Indonesia lifting the trophy on home ground.

Not only the supporters, but the players and coaching staff of Indonesia also felt the same way. During the award presentation ceremony, the majority of the Indonesian players sat in a daze. Few words were spoken by them. Throughout the trophy presentation to the captain of Vietnam, the Indonesian players observed from a distance with blank expressions.

Although painful, the failure to dismantle Vietnam's dominance is not the end of everything. After all, the championship title is not the only goal for age-group teams. The most important thing is how the players rise and continue to develop until they mature and gain the trust of the senior team.

There is a significant "blessing" behind the failure to win the ASEAN U-23 Championship. From this, at least the "Garuda Muda" players understand what kind of play should be applied when facing opponents like Vietnam. The coaching staff also received many important insights to prepare the team for the next tournament.

The weakness in anticipating the execution of set pieces that resulted in a goal by Nguyen Cong Phuong is just one of many aspects that the team led by Gerald Vanenburg needs to improve. Another more important aspect is to sharpen the finishing.

The Indonesia U-23 team has indeed become the most productive team in this tournament with 10 goals. However, this productivity is somewhat misleading as eight of those goals were scored against Brunei Darussalam, which is the weakest team. When faced with opponents of higher quality such as Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, the "Garuda Muda" struggled to find the back of the net.

The increase in creativity in the midfield, including the courage to engage in one-on-one duels and release progressive passes, became another weakness that was revealed during the final. Vietnam, playing with a medium defensive line, made it difficult for Indonesian players to create opportunities from the midfield due to the opposing players' congestion. The distance between the lines was so tight that it made it challenging for Jens Raven to receive the ball, let alone turn to face the goal.

When trailing and in need of an equalizing goal, the Indonesian players hesitated to make progressive passes. They became trapped in Vietnam's style of play, only daring to pass the ball backward. The character of ball possession dominance instilled by Vanenburg should not be applied in such a manner.

"I think first, if you watch the match, that (the habit of passing backward) is something that I actually dislike. That is why we made substitutions (of players). The ball should indeed be moved forward in such situations," said Vanenburg in a press conference session after the match, Tuesday (29/7/2025).

However, the achievement of reaching the final still deserves appreciation. The team only had the opportunity to train without being given the chance to conduct trials before the match. Practically, Vanenburg did not have the opportunity to test how strong his team was. This also explains why Vanenburg, at the beginning of the tournament, often chose different player lineups.

He took that step to assess the players' abilities in each position. Hokky Caraka was briefly deployed as a starter before Jens became the primary choice. The central defense duo was initially held by Brandon Scheunemann and Muhammad Ferarri before it was permanently assigned to Kakang Rudianto and Kadek Arel.

Thus, the ASEAN U-23 Championship provides numerous "gifts" in the form of valuable lessons ahead of facing the next challenge, the 2026 U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers. To qualify, Indonesia will compete against South Korea, Macau, and Laos in September. The mistakes made during the ASEAN U-23 Championship must be eliminated as only the group winners will qualify directly.

Vanenburg still has plenty of time to prepare the team. In addition to monitoring more players in the Indonesian League, he is required to prepare at least one friendly match ahead of the qualifiers. "For the SEA Games, I was informed that it is not a tournament that I will handle. I have no problem with that. However, I will be in charge of the next tournament (U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers). I will try to win it," said Vanenburg.