World Cup Qualifying Indonesia

Five Things Indonesia Learned From Their Defeat to Malaysia

By: , November 22, 2019 9:04 pm

The rot continues for Indonesia, who sit bottom in Group G without a single point from five games. They now await the appointment of a new coach, who they hope will spark a revival in 2020. Football Tribe Indonesia’s Steven Danis discusses five points the Garuda can take away from their most recent defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Malaysia:

Important Bloopers

Yanto Basna made a vital tackle that led to the first goal for Malaysia, through a perfect free kick taken by Safawi Raid. The Sukhothai defender also made a blunder that allowed Safawi to steal and send the ball into M. Ridho's net. He still mistake-prone just like he and Fachruddin were together 2016 AFF. So many fans blame him, while on the other hand, several have said that it is the curse of captain armband.

Lack of Accuracy

We took 8 shots but none of them could even shake Malaysian bar. None of them looked dangerous. Sadly, the attacking side looks horrible. Greg Nwokolo must play as a fluid striker, seeking Septian, Ichsan or Febri, who guarded by Malaysian defender so tightly. For example, look at how Corbin-Ong effectively guarded Febry for 90 minutes. Sadly, there's no chance from the second line, and we missed Lilipaly or Evan Dimas' powerful shots.

Yeyen's Vision Still Unclear

A terrible situation unfolded as Simon McMenemy refused to manage Garuda with his impending departure already decided. As a result, Yeyen Tumena became an emergency choice before Garuda appoint their new coach for 2020. Yeyen never managed a club or national teams at any level, even though his license is capable enough. Playing away, we choose to play defensively and rely on fast counter-attacks. But his game plan wasn't effective as we couldn't get hold of the ball long enough to counter and made blunders at the back.

Several New Players Show Their Capability

Players like T.M. Ichsan and Septian David Maulana made a good impact when played as a starter - as did Ardi Idrus, who played from the second half. They looked like they were enjoying themselves but unfortunately had a debut in a stage like Bukit Jalil in front of thousands of ferocious home supporters. I can't wait to see many new faces under the new coach next year.

Need A Good Set Piece Taker

Osas Saha had a chance to score a goal into Marlias' net but somehow, the player who looked great with PS TIRA-Persikabo, couldn't make it past Malaysia's excellent goalkeepers on the night. It was not only the penalty - Indonesia also couldn't maximize their chances from free-kicks and corners even they though had so many talented players who for those situations like David Maulana or Febri Hariyadi.