Indra Sjafri Gets an Initial Glimpse of the Final Indonesia U-23 Team

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The selection of India U-23 as a friendly match opponent for Indonesia is considered very appropriate. The quality of the "Macan Biru" team is quite capable of testing the abilities of Indonesian players who are currently undergoing selection. As a result, Indra Sjafri is beginning to gain an initial picture of the best lineup he is seeking for the SEA Games in Thailand in December 2025.

PSSI has scheduled two friendly matches for the Indonesian U-23 football team coached by Indra ahead of their competition in Thailand. The two friendly matches are set to take place on October 10 and 13 against India at the Madya Stadium. A day before the match, Indra assessed that India possesses good quality to test the abilities of the 32 Indonesian players who are currently undergoing selection. The reason is that India performed impressively, nearly qualifying for the U-23 Asian Cup after achieving two victories and one defeat.

The quality of the Indian team even far exceeded Indra's expectations. They were able to take the lead just five minutes into the match through Suhail Ahmad. India's strength lies in their ability to change the direction of their attacks and their quick transitions in both defense and offense. Two Indian wingers, Muhammad Suhail and Thingujam Korou, consistently troubled the Indonesian defenders, who often struggled to close down their movements in time.

Suhail, who was appointed as the spearhead, successfully scored two goals. Meanwhile, Indonesia could only respond with a long-range shot from defender Donny Tri Pamungkas, who was assigned to play a more attacking role in this match.

"Overall, this match was quite good for our team. At the beginning, we were indeed a bit surprised because we did not fully know the quality of India. However, in the second half, there was improvement both individually and as a team," said Indra.

In forming the SEA Games team, trials are needed to validate the quality of the players we recruit.

Indra acknowledged that he was not yet fully satisfied with the way his team played. However, the quality of the Indian team allowed him to provide an objective assessment of the players. Facing a tough opponent gave Indra the advantage of monitoring the abilities of the 32 players he called up for the training camp. Indra has also gathered several notes regarding the performance of each player.

The quota for substitutions, amounting to 12 times, was utilized by Indra to the fullest extent to provide equal playing time for all players. Even goalkeeper Cahya Supriadi was substituted to give an opportunity to assess the quality of Muhammad Ardiansyah. For Indra, the training process and a series of tests alone are not sufficient to gain a comprehensive view of each player's strengths.

"In forming the SEA Games team, it is necessary to conduct trials to validate the quality of the players we recruit. It has been proven that some players have positive records, while there are others that we may reconsider in the second match," said Indra.

In the player list against India, Indra did not include several diaspora players such as Dion Markx, Adrian Wibowo, Rafael Struick, and Ivar Jenner. Struick has not joined the team as he is still in the process of recovering from an injury. Dion was previously seen during team training but did not make the lineup for the match against India. Meanwhile, PSSI is still working to negotiate with FC Utrecht to bring in Ivar.

However, Indra won't be fixated on just one or two players. If the club hosting the diaspora player refuses to release him, Indra has already prepared a replacement. Therefore, the roster changes will remain highly dynamic, even leading up to the technical meeting before the first match of the SEA Games. Players not included in the 32-man squad for the training camp but listed in the 50-man squad for the SEA Games still have a chance to be included, depending on the team's needs.

This very dynamic process also occurred in Indra's decision to choose a captain. In the first trial, Kadek Arel was entrusted with the captaincy. When managing the U-20 team, Indra entrusted the captain position to Donny.

Selecting a captain is quite complex, given that he or she must act as a leader on the field and bridge communication between the players and the coach. Therefore, the selection process is highly selective, including DNA talent testing and polling.

On the other hand, Kadek Arel stated that his team is still in the process of adaptation. The less than optimal performance is due to the new players gathering and training together for only about the last week. During that period, not all players joined the training camp simultaneously.

"We know the new players joined the team a week before the friendly against India. Of course, this performance will be our evaluation. We strongly believe we will reach peak performance at the SEA Games. After this, we will evaluate in preparation for the next friendly," said Kadek.