Indonesia - 'A tasty bait' for coach Park Hang-seo and his team

In the match taking place on June 3, Indonesia got its first point in the qualifying round.World Cup 2022Asia, when they held Thailand to a 2-2 draw. It is worth mentioning that coach Shin Tae-yong's students were twice taken the lead by their opponents, but were able to equalize the score not long after.

Indonesian players just had a commendable match against Thailand. Photo: Lam Thoa

However, if only looking at the final result of the match, many people would mistakenly think that the Indonesian players had an impressive performance against the team from the "Land of the Golden Temple". However, the reality on the field was a one-sided game, especially at the end of the second half, when the ball seemed to only roll on the Indonesian side of the field.

According to statistics, throughout the 90 minutes of the match, Thailand controlled the ball up to 65%, launching a total of 22 shots, while the similar indicators of Indonesia were 35% and 7 respectively. It should be noted that coach Akira Nishino did not field important faces from the start such as Suphanat Mueanta, Supachok, Thitipan Puangchan, Sasalak Haiprakhon and Supachai Jaided.

Vietnam once defeated Indonesia right on the opponent with a score of 3 - 1. Photo: Doc Lap

That does not mean that the 1 point that Evan Dimas and his teammates won against Thailand was due to both luck and the opponent's incompetence. Witnessing the performance of the Indonesian players against the team nicknamed "War Elephants", it can be seen that coach Shin Tae-yong's team showed their youthful strength and excellent fighting spirit.

But that is not enough to make it difficult for an experienced and talented opponent like Vietnam. It is not an exaggeration to say that teams with a playing style that focuses on strength and inspiration are "delicious prey" for coach Park Hang-seo and his team. With an average age of 21.8, Indonesia will find it difficult to make a difference against Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates.

Thailand's "stumble" is a timely warning for coach Park Hang-seo and his students. Therefore, the surprise in Indonesia's playing style is no longer there right before the match with Vietnam, taking place on June 7. And once the surprise is lost, the team from the "land of thousands of islands" will "reveal its true form" as an immature, disjointed team.

Speaking to the press after the match between Thailand and Indonesia ended, coach Shin Tae-yong declared: "We can beat Vietnam if we play like we did against Thailand." Objectively speaking, even if Indonesia plays better, they are not a worthy opponent for coach Park Hang-seo and his team at the present time.

Most likely, the team nicknamed "Garuda" will have to accept another defeat with a heavy score, similar to the match that took place on Bali island at the end of 2019 (1-3). It seems that 3 points will be difficult to escape the hands of the "Golden Star Warriors"./.