India U-23 Trial: The "Young Garuda"'s Attempt to Recognize Itself

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Indonesian U-23 football team will test their strength against India in a friendly match at the Madya Stadium, Jakarta, on Friday (10/10/2025) at 19:00 WIB. Winning is not the primary objective as this match serves merely as an effort for "Garuda Muda" to familiarize themselves by assessing the quality of the players called up for the training camp.

Not only assessing performance on the field, the player selection process is also conducted using scientific methods. The coach of the Indonesia U-23 team, Indra Sjafri, has called up 32 players in preparation for the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.

PSSI aims for Indra to maintain the gold medal achievement at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games. Retaining something is always more challenging than achieving it, which is why Indra is implementing a slightly more complex player selection method for this SEA Games.

In addition to training sessions, the quality of the players is also assessed during two friendly matches against India. The choice of India as a test opponent is based on the consideration that they possess a sufficiently competent quality. The team, led by coach Naushad Moosa, performed convincingly in the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers last September.

In three matches, India secured two victories and one defeat. The "Blue Tigers" scored nine goals and conceded only two. Finishing in the runner-up position of Group H after accumulating six points, India nearly qualified for the U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar. Based on this performance, Indra believes that India is the right opponent to assess the quality of Indonesian players.

"This trial is aimed at finding the format of the 23 best players that we will take to the SEA Games. Therefore, the team's performance in the upcoming match is just a preliminary display, not a performance that truly reflects the quality ready for the SEA Games," said Indra during a press conference ahead of the match, Thursday (9/10/2025).

The final squad selection was conducted in a measured manner using a slightly more complex method than that used for the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games. In addition to assessing medical aspects and performance during training and matches, the players were assessed using a series of tests, including an in-body test to measure body composition, a fall test to assess specific physical abilities, and DNA talent.

The talent DNA method is relatively new. It's a method for assessing a player's potential and character more holistically, including mental and personality aspects. This approach is believed to help coaches place players in positions that best suit their natural characteristics.

"Until now, the team is still in the process. It is the same process as determining who will occupy the goalkeeper, striker, and other positions. Nothing is permanent, and in the upcoming trial match, we will make changes. The players in each position will be different," said Indra.

The majority of the U-23 Indonesian team players selected by Indra have also been trained by coach Gerald Vanenburg during the ASEAN Championship and the Asian Cup qualifiers a few months ago. The main problem for Vanenburg's team is the bluntness of the front line. The sharpness of Garuda Muda was tested when facing weaker opponents, such as when they defeated Brunei Darussalam and Macau.

However, the Vanenburg team always struggles to score goals when facing teams of better quality. Not to mention scoring, they find it very difficult to approach the opponent's final third area. Even if they manage to penetrate into the heart of the opponent's defense, Indonesia is still hindered by issues of finishing that lack accuracy.

To address the problem of a blunt attacking line, Indra called up several attacking instinct players who were previously not included in Vanenburg's squad. They include Victor Dethan (PSM Makassar), Arlyansyah Abdulmanan (Persija Jakarta), and Wigi Pratama (Persik Kediri).

Thus, the match against India will serve as a sort of audition for them. Dethan, Arlyansyah, and Widi must perform optimally against India to convince Indra. Among the three, Dethan has shown a quite remarkable performance by scoring one goal in six matches in the Indonesian Super League so far.

Their sharpness is sure to face a heavy test considering that India has a fairly solid defense. In the latest event, the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, India conceded only two goals in three matches. The team nicknamed the "Blue Tigers" was able to withstand the onslaught from Bahrain. The match ultimately ended with India winning 2-0.

After an impressive performance in the U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, Moosa has begun to reorganize his team's strength in preparation to realize the dream of competing in the 2026 Asian Games.

"Our team is very mentally prepared (ahead of the upcoming trial). We do not have much time to prepare for the match, but we believe in our abilities and will give our all tomorrow," said Moosa.