Against Bahrain, Indonesian National Team Loyal to Total Football

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Indonesian national team will most likely not abandon its attacking or total football philosophy to face Bahrain. Although the philosophy backfired against Australia, the need to steal points from Bahrain makes the idea worth maintaining.

Although appearing more dominant than Australia, the "Garuda" team returned empty-handed after losing 1-5. The idea of pressing the opponent by building attacks from the back ended in an anticlimax due to Australia's skill in counterattack transitions. Indonesia's coach, Patrick Kluivert, faced a wave of criticism for the strategy he chose. Kluivert was deemed to have overly insisted on the attacking philosophy he carried during his active playing days.

Facing Bahrain in a crucial match that may determine Indonesia's continuation in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, this approach will likely be maintained. This was revealed by defender Calvin Verdonk during the team's training session at Madya Stadium, Jakarta, on Saturday afternoon (22/3/2025).

Verdonk assessed that Indonesia played very well by consistently putting pressure on Australia. However, their own mistakes in the defensive line disrupted that momentum.

"We were able to control the course of the match. Due to our own mistakes, they were able to score a goal. We must maintain the energy and character as we did against Australia and hope for a better result when facing Bahrain," said Verdonk.

The total football strategy that Indonesia will showcase against Bahrain on Tuesday (25/3/2025) will undergo slight improvements or modifications. The main emphasis will target the defensive aspect when facing counterattacks. Verdonk and captain Jay Idzes were drawn forward to press Australian players, leaving gaps in the defensive line. This must not be allowed to happen again.

The improvements also targeted the Garuda team's weak anticipation of set pieces or dead ball executions. Three of Australia's five goals came from set pieces.

To address this, the four Indonesian goalkeepers, namely Maarten Paes, Emil Audero, Ernando Ari, and Nadeo Argawinata, underwent training to anticipate crosses and aerial balls. During the goalkeeper training session, they were trained to intercept the trajectory of aerial passes while under pressure from opponents. Once the ball was secured, the goalkeepers were instructed to immediately distribute the ball forward for counterattack schemes.

Meanwhile, players who played the full match against Australia underwent separate training from those who sat on the bench. Idzes, Haye, and Verdonk, who played the entire match, focused more on muscle stretching exercises. On the other hand, players who did not get the opportunity to play trained in agility and physical strengthening.

According to Verdonk, practice in anticipating set pieces is necessary even though Bahrain is not as dangerous as Australia. "Although Bahrain is not too dangerous (in set pieces), of course we have to be better in anticipation," he said.

There were three players who were absent from the first training session since returning from Australia. They were Ole Romeny, Sandy Walsh, and Mees Hilgers. According to the Indonesian National Team Manager Sumardji, Mees' examination results required him to receive further treatment. Meanwhile, Ole and Sandy's condition has improved. They trained separately in the hotel gym. Ole suffered minor abrasions while Sandy had difficulty breathing after being crushed by an Australian player.

"It is possible that in the near future we will be able to return to normal and join our friends to train," said Sumardji.

Sumardj said the team's dressing room atmosphere was gloomy after being slaughtered by Australia. The national team coaching team then used that moment to motivate the players to quickly recover ahead of the match against Bahrain.

"In every match, when you lose, the situation is definitely not good. But remember when you return to the hotel (from the stadium) we give motivation to the players. The results are quite good, the players find their identity again to really be able to focus on following the training," said Sumardji.

He also asked Indonesian football fans to be patient in waiting for Kluivert's performance. After the crushing defeat to Australia, Kluivert was flooded with criticism for implementing total football which was considered too naive.

"Regarding the demands of the community, I think the community will hold on for now. We give full trust to the coaching team so that they really fight hard towards our dream (playing in the World Cup)," he said.

The match against Bahrain is a must win for Indonesia to maintain its hopes of advancing to the main round of the World Cup. Taking third and fourth place to advance to the fourth round of qualification is the most realistic for the “Garuda” team. With a collection of six points from seven matches, Indonesia has temporarily dropped to fourth place from previously third place in Group C.