Southeast Asia Indonesia

What Can the Indonesia National Team Expect From Patrick Kluivert?

With Patrick Kluivert being handed the seemingly impossible task of building upon the good work made by Shin Tae-yong at the Indonesia national team, what should we expect from the former Curacao and Adana Demirspor boss?

Unlike Tae-yong’s pragmatic style of football, Kluivert’s teams deployed a more attacking 4-3-3 formation which emphasizes on tearing opposition defenses apart. This was shown from several matches played by both Curacao and Adana Demirspor, where they often notch victories by huge margins. Notable ones include Curacao’s 8-0 win over the British Virgin Islands in 2021 (albeit the opposition aren’t exactly an established footballing nation), Adana Demirspor’s 4-2 thrashing of Besiktas in 2023 that saw Kluivert’s men race into a 4-0 lead, and Adana Demirspor’s 5-1 dismantlement of Croatian side Osijek in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers.

While Tae-yong’s tactics emphasizes on a 3-man defense that can build up from the back and switch to a 5-man unit whenever necessary, Kluivert’s teams are based around possession-based football and players knowing when to adapt to many different roles, an aspect that harkens back to the Netherlands’ Total Football philosophy.

However, Kluivert’s attacking philosophy meant that his teams’ defenses are prone towards opposition scrutiny, with his Adana Demirspor side notably conceding 29 goals in his 20 games in charge of the side, although the statistic was offset by the fact that Adana Demirspor, during that time period, scored a whopping 41 goals and by the time Kluivert left Turkey, the team were fifth and were narrowly knocked out of Europe on penalties by Belgian powerhouses Genk, a side with plenty of European pedigree.

Kluivert will also inherit an Indonesian defense containing the likes of Rizky Ridho, Jay Idzes, Jordi Amat, Shayne Pattynama, and Sandy Walsh, players who have thrived under Tae-yong, and the additions of Calvin Verdonk, Mees Hilgers, and Kevin Diks will add more steel to the Timnas Garuda‘s backline.

The arrival of Kluivert also meant that players who were overlooked during the Tae-yong tenure such as Elkan Baggott, Eliano Reijnders, Saddil Ramdani, and veteran duo Marc Klok and Stefano Lilipaly will have the chance to make their way back into the fold.

Kluivert also voiced his interest in building his team around Marselino Ferdinan, who attracted his attention during Indonesia’s historic 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia back in November.

The presence of both Alex Pastoor and Denny Landzaat in Kluivert’s coaching staff could also quell away any doubts regarding Kluivert’s rather inconsistent track record. Pastoor has proven himself to be a capable head coach as he was the one who brought Almere City to the Eredivisie for the first time in their history back in 2022/23, while Landzaat had experience in overseeing reputable clubs such as Saudi Arabian giants Al Ittihad, Polish powerhouses Lech Poznan, and Hungarian champions Ferencvaros.

At this stage it’s best to remain on the fence about how Kluivert’s reign will turn out. He needs time to establish his authority as well as to prove himself to the Indonesian public. And considering how many are doubting his capabilities already, Kluivert will have a mammoth of a task to be done.