Ahead of the ASEAN U-23 Championship, the Young Garuda Team is Spurred by Time Constraints

Hoping for maximum results but with minimal preparation seems to have become a hallmark of the Indonesian U-23 football team. Garuda Muda is once again targeted to win the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship amidst the tight preparation time.

However, the adage "the ball is round" may still apply. Indonesia has experience exceeding expectations even without adequate preparation.

Being demanded to win but with minimal preparation may be the greatest challenge for a coach. This is what Gerald Vanenburg is experiencing. The coach of the Indonesian U-23 football team does not have the luxury of conducting friendly matches to assess his team's capabilities ahead of the ASEAN Championship from July 15 to 29 in Jakarta.

Instead of being able to schedule a trial, Vanenburg only had three weeks to prepare the team. A total of 30 players from the U-23 Indonesia team have gathered in Jakarta from June 20 to July 14 to begin their training camp.

Thus, this is the first opportunity for Vanenburg to gather the U-23 team players while also meeting them in person. In fact, he has been appointed as the coach since seven months ago, or in January.

The busy schedule of fulfilling duties as an assistant to Patrick Kluivert in the senior national team has consumed much of Vanenburg's time. The Garuda Muda team at least has two opportunities to gather, namely during the international breaks in March and June. However, those opportunities could not be realized because at the same time, the senior national team still required Vanenburg's assistance in the World Cup 2026 qualifying matches.

Without having interacted previously, Vanenburg practically had little time to get to know the character and skills of each player more deeply. This is why it is understandable that Vanenburg even had to work until the early hours in crafting the composition of the U-23 Indonesia team.

"Sometimes I go to bed at 5 (in the morning) because I do not know the players. I watch their matches and I meet the players. So, that is what I do," said Vanenburg during a training camp for the U-23 team at the Madya Stadium in Jakarta last month.

Three weeks to form a team from scratch is not ideal. However, Vanenburg stated that his team has made positive progress during the training camp. One aspect he focused on during the training camp was the consistency of performance and the improvement of both individual and team quality.

"I believe we performed quite well. We must work hard every day, and I feel that we are continuously improving each day," said the Dutch coach.

Without trial matches, it is difficult for Vanenburg to gauge how much his team's performance has improved. The trial match has suddenly become a luxury opportunity for "Garuda Muda." In order to compensate for the lack of trial matches, Vanenburg filled the training sessions by organizing internal matches among the players.

The situation experienced by the U-23 Indonesia team is very different from Malaysia, which will be Indonesia's final opponent in the Group A qualifying match. In addition to Malaysia, Indonesia will also compete with Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines in Group A.

Unlike Indonesia, the Malaysian U-23 team is approaching the ASEAN Championship with thorough preparations. In the lead-up to the championship, the team, coached by Nafuzi Zain, has conducted two friendly matches, including against PDRM FC and Melaka FC, both of which ended in victory. The atmosphere of the friendly matches is significantly more competitive compared to internal matches, thus providing more valuable competitive experience to the Malaysian players.

"I'm satisfied with the players' achievements. There's also been good progress for the team before we go to Indonesia," said Nafuzi.

Football is always filled with unpredictable events. The saying that the ball is round remains relevant to this day, considering that even strong teams can be defeated by opponents they should easily overcome.

"Garuda Muda" should at least never lose hope even with minimal preparation. The experience from the previous ASEAN U-23 Championship edition in Thailand can serve as a reflection of how football always holds surprises.

Similar to the current situation, the U-23 Indonesian team in the previous edition, coached by Shin Tae-yong, also did not have much time for preparation. Shin had a total of only one week to prepare the team ahead of the championship.

With limited preparation, the "Garuda Muda" team, which at that time was reinforced by Muhammad Ferarri, Daffa Fasya, and Robi Darwis, defied predictions and advanced to the final. Although they performed heroically, Indonesia ultimately had to acknowledge the superiority of Vietnam, which became the champion through a penalty shootout.

Ferarri, Daffa, and Robi, who were part of the final match two years ago, are once again strengthening Indonesia at this time. Their presence is expected to bring a positive aura and instill the fighting spirit in the team, just as it was two years ago.

"I want to give the best for Indonesia because two years ago we were the runners-up in Thailand. I hope this year we can present the trophy at home," said Ferarri.