To say that Arema FC are undergoing a rough start to the 2023/24 Liga 1 Indonesia campaign would be a severe understatement.
Six games. Four losses. Two draws. Seven goals scored – all of them by the same man – and 17 goals conceded. Only two points to their name.
Arema were a side who were shaken psychologically by the aftermath of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy last year and the aftereffects of that fateful day were still felt as of now. A number of the Singo Edan players – who witnessed the tragedy at first hand and then were hounded by opposition supporters throughout the remainder of the season due to their association with Arema – decided to leave the club at the end of the 2022/23 season, among them Adilson Maringa. The Brazilian goalkeeper, once an imposing figure between the Arema sticks, is currently struggling to regain his form at new club Bali United.
The tragedy also meant that Arema were slapped with a number of sanctions, ranging from hefty fines to a ban from playing within the Greater Malang region for the rest of the 2022/23 season. Sponsors decided to withdraw their support of Arema following the tragedy and the club suddenly found themselves lacking the same financial muscle that made them a side to be reckoned with throughout the past few years.
A combination of player exodus, significantly reduced finances, players who are still struggling to overcome the aftermath of the Kanjuruhan Tragedy mentally, and an unexpected injury crisis so early in the season meant that Arema were struggling massively in the 2023/24 campaign, with their heavy 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Barito Putera on Saturday only serving to aggravate the crisis even further.
New goalkeeper Julian Schwarzer – son of former Middlesbrough, Fulham, Chelsea, and Leicester City custodian Mark Schwarzer – was left utterly helpless after both Gustavo Tocantins and Murilo Mendes scored braces for Barito Putera as the Laskar Antasari ran the Singo Edan ragged. Julian – who had a decent debut last week in Arema’s 1-1 draw with Persis Solo – was left a shadow of himself after Saturday’s demolition, though at a young age and with still much of the season to go for, the Filipino international could pick himself up and regain himself in future matches.
Co-head coach I Putu Gede had already resigned prior to the Persis match, meaning that his partner Joko Susilo was left to take charge of both the draw in Solo and Saturday’s heavy loss. The Arema management are reportedly planning to replace Joko with a foreign head coach for the rest of the season, with the likes of Milan Petrovic and Divaldo Alves the favorites to steady a sinking Singo Edan ship.
Despite this, things are not all doom and gloom at the Arema camp. Striker Gustavo, formerly of Negeri Sembilan FC, is currently the league’s top scorer with seven goals – all seven of Arema’s goals so far this season had came from the Brazilian. Gustavo’s prowess as a goalscorer is definitely beyond doubt, but with the mid-season transfer window coming, it’ll be a huge struggle for Arema to retain his services should a better club came knocking.
It’s still six games into the season and a lot can still happen, but if things at Arema remain this way, a hard reset down in the Liga 2 is probably what the Singo Edan needed the most.