Indonesia uses U22 players to replace naturalized stars to play against Vietnam

CNN Indonesia said that the national team will use many young players under the age of 22 at the AFF Cup 2024. The decision was confirmed by coach Shin Tae-yong himself. The Korean coach was forced to find a personnel solution when many naturalized players would find it difficult to participate in the tournament.

Up to this point, only goalkeeper Maarten Paes has confirmed that he will return to Southeast Asia to compete in December. Since Dallas FC's matches in the US national championship have ended, Paes can join the Indonesian team early. The rest are not sure to participate in the 2024 AFF Cup as the home team in Europe is not obliged to "release" the player.

In fact, the Indonesian team has 13-16 players playing abroad. Coach Shin Tae-yong is likely to only be able to call up half of the above names to participate in the AFF Cup. They are in Group A with Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines. The Vietnamese team is considered Indonesia's biggest rival in the group stage.

As Indonesia weakened, the pressure on the Vietnamese team and coach Kim Sang-sik personally increased. Previously, in March 2024, coach Troussier visited Gelora Bung Karno Stadium when the Indonesian team did not have many naturalized players. At that time, many domestic players such as Ernando Ari, Arhan Pratama, Asnawi Mangkualam, Marselino Ferdinan or Witan Sulaeman were still playing in the starting lineup.

Only a few naturalized players like Ivar Jenner, Jordi Amat or Rafael Struick started but did not make much difference. In fact, the Vietnamese team hit rock bottom and lost 0-1 to Indonesia but the gap between the two teams was not too big.

Returning to the 2024 AFF Cup, coach Shin Tae-yong is worried as many young Indonesian stars are losing form. In particular, Marselino Ferdinan has encountered many difficulties when he went to England to play for Oxford United. The midfielder born in 2004 has not been registered for any matches in the English First Division and has only played 60 minutes in a practice match.

"The competitiveness of the Indonesian team will decrease quite a bit, but using young players when their quality meets the requirements is the right thing to do," coach Shin Tae-yong reluctantly said.

Obviously, when the opponent is unexpectedly weakened, the Vietnamese team has a greater chance to complete the goal of reaching the final of the tournament. Now is the time for the Korean coach to prepare the best for the AFF Cup 2024.