With no new names, Patrick Kluivert chooses international break alumni.

Patrick Kluivert adopted an incremental approach when selecting 28 players for the Indonesian national team. He did not want to take risks by calling up new names amid the tight preparations for the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The 28 selected players are those who were deemed to have performed satisfactorily during the international break.

On Wednesday night (24/9/2025), PSSI finally released the list of 28 players from the Indonesian national team who will be taken to Saudi Arabia. The selected lineup is not significantly different from that during the international break against Taiwan and Lebanon earlier this month. Additionally, there are no new names on the list, making this announcement of players not particularly surprising.

Although most of the players are the same, Kluivert also made some quite radical changes. The hero of Indonesia's victory over Saudi Arabia in the third round qualifiers, Marselino Ferdinan, was omitted from the list. The exclusion of Marselino has sparked both support and criticism considering his goal against Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, there are also those who feel that his exclusion is reasonable considering that the player from the Persebaya Surabaya academy performed unsatisfactorily against Taiwan and Lebanon. The lack of playing time at the club has caused Marselino to lose his playing instinct and ball touch.

He frequently makes mistakes in decision-making, and his positioning isn't as good as it used to be.

"Because the match schedule for (Marselino) is not yet available. So that might be a consideration for the coach, in addition to perhaps the results of yesterday's evaluation during the FIFA Matchday trial against Taiwan and Lebanon," said PSSI Executive Committee Member Arya Sinulingga, responding to questions regarding Kluivert's selected lineup, Thursday (25/9/2025).

Marselino is one of the few players who failed to impress Kluivert during the international break. Another player who was called up during the international break but was dropped ahead of the matches against Saudi Arabia and Iraq is Adrian Wibowo.

The winger from the LAFC club in Major League Soccer, United States, was unable to compete with footballers playing in the Indonesian Super League such as Egy Maulana Vikri and Beckham Putra.

Kluivert prefers Miliano Jonathans, who performed quite well against Lebanon. The player from FC Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie was able to break through the opponent's defense several times with his speed and dribbling skills in the right wing area.

The international break against Taiwan and Lebanon became an opportunity for Kluivert to express his ideas in implementing a four-defender system. During the era of coach Shin Tae-yong, the Indonesian national team often employed a three-defender system.

Shifting from a three-defender system to a four-defender system cannot be done abruptly. Therefore, Kluivert is utilizing the international break to acclimate the players to implement his chosen system.

This could also serve as an entry point for fans of the "Garuda" national team to understand the 28 players selected by Kluivert. Those brought in to face Saudi Arabia and Iraq have at least experienced playing under Kluivert's four-defender system, albeit in just two matches. With no new faces called up, it is hoped that the cohesiveness built during the international break will be maintained.

The exclusion of Mees Hilgers from Kluivert's 28-man squad reinforces this argument. Mees was called up during the international break.

However, the former FC Twente player did not join due to a very complicated transfer saga. FC Twente even decided to suspend Mees from the team because of his transfer issues, resulting in him not having participated in any competitive matches this season.

Kluivert expressed regret over Mees' absence during the international break. This caused Mees to miss the opportunity to integrate with the team, which continues to strive for cohesion within Kluivert's four-defender system.

"As you mentioned, the two international matches we are currently playing are very important. After the last matches against China and Japan, it is now the turn of Taipei (Taiwan) and Lebanon. Therefore, we are busy preparing ourselves very well for Saudi Arabia, of course," said Kluivert ahead of the September international break.

"If a player cannot join, it is not good for him. Because we are now planning to do something else or something different," added Kluivert.

On the other hand, the lineup of the national team does not entirely consist of familiar faces. There is also striker Mauro Zijlstra, who was retained by Kluivert despite not scoring during the matches against Taiwan and Lebanon.

The presence of Zijlstra adds depth to the national team's attack, which has already been strengthened by Ramadhan Sananta and Ole Romeny. Zijlstra is likely to become a starting player against Saudi if Ole is unable to play due to injury.

Maarten Vincent Paes - Dallas FC

Emil Audero Mulyadi - US Cremonese

Ernando Ari Sutaryadi - Persebaya Surabaya

Justin Quincy Hubner - Fortuna Sittard

Jay Noah Idzes - US Sassuolo Calcio

Rizky Ridho Ramadhani - Persija Jakarta

Jordi Amat Maas - Persija Jakarta

Kevin Diks Bakarbessy - Borussia Monchengladbach

Shayne Elian Jay Pattynama -  Buriram United

Eliano Johannes Reijnders - Persib Bandung

Yance Sayuri - Malut United

Sandy Henny Walsh - Buriram United

Calvin Ronald Verdonk - LOSC Lille

Dean Ruben James - Go Ahead Eagles

Nathan Noel Romejo Tjoe-A-On - Willem II

Thom Jan Marinus Haye - Persib Bandung

Joey Mathijs Pelupessy - Lommel SK

Marc Anthony Klok - Persib Bandung

Ricky Richardo Kambuaya - Dewa United

Stefano Jantje Lilipaly - Dewa United

Beckham Putra Nugraha - Persib Bandung

Ole Lennard Ten Haar Romenij - Oxford United

Mauro Nils Zjilstra - FC Volendam

Muhammad Ramadhan Sananta -  DPMM FC

Ragnar Anthonius Maria Oeratmangoen - FC Dender

Miliano Jonathans - FC Utrecht

Egy Maulana Vikri - Dewa United

Yakob Sayuri - Malut United