Shin Tae-yong's "Siege Mentality".

Indonesia is playing for an Olympic ticket match against Iraq. Shin Tae-yong built the "siege mentality" of the Indonesian team.

AFC

Indonesia's coach, Shin Tae-yong, led his team in a match against South Korea in the quarter-finals of the 2024 U-23 Asia Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar on Friday (26/4/2024) early morning WIB. Indonesia defeated South Korea through a penalty shoot-out. This victory secured Indonesia's place in the semi-finals. AFC 25-04-2024.

After Indonesia's first match against Qatar in the U-23 Asian Cup, Indonesian fans were busy cursing the referee who officiated at the match. Referee Nasrullo Kabirov from Tajikistan's refereeing decisions were considered to be defending the hosts and on the other hand were detrimental to Indonesia.

Kabirov awarded a penalty to Qatar which was deemed unworthy of being given after a review by the assistant referee's video (VAR). Then, he also gave a second yellow card to Ivar Jenner for a very minimal contact violation.

Coach Shin Tae-yong immediately conveyed a strong protest, followed by a letter of protest from PSSI to AFC. “The referee's decisions are not like in a (soccer) match. It's like a comedy show. "I'm speechless," said Shin in a press conference after the match, Monday (15/4/2024) (Kompas.id, 16/4/2024).

Not only protesting the referee's leadership, Shin also revealed that there was an "effort" to make it difficult for the "Garuda Muda" team before the match against Qatar. Efforts to "cheat" Indonesia had been carried out since the team's bus journey from the hotel to the stadium.

Also read: Indonesian Supporters' Enthusiasm Remains Great, Ticket Rates for Iraq are Decreasing

"Yesterday (Sunday), during the field introduction session, we only traveled from the hotel to the stadium for seven minutes, but today (Monday) it took us 25 minutes. The bus went to another place before we finally arrived at the stadium in 25 minutes," said Shin.

Several Indonesian players also criticized the controversial decision of the referee through posts on social media. Shin's strong protest was followed by the strong protest of Indonesian netizens through posts on social media.

AFC/MUSTAFA ABUMUNES

Referee Nasrullo Kabirov from Tajikistan approached the players of Qatar and Indonesia in the first match of Group A of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, on Monday (15/4/2024) at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar. Kabirov made some decisions that were detrimental to Indonesia.

Shin also succeeded in lifting the team's mentality again after the painful 0-2 defeat to hosts Qatar. Also togetherness, both in the Indonesian team and its supporters. Netizens, for example, did not discuss the mistakes of the Indonesian players when they lost, but blamed the cause of the defeat on the referee's decision. There are efforts by certain parties who want Indonesia to fail. An “us versus them” mentality emerged. Shin succeeded in building a siege mentality.

In the following matches, Indonesia rose up with three consecutive wins against top Asian teams. Australia, which ranks 24th in FIFA, was defeated 1-0. Next was Jordan, whose senior team was the finalist of the 2023 Asia Cup, and they were crushed 4-1.

Also read: Turn off Ali Jassim, Indonesia's chance of winning over Iraq increases

South Korea, a country that has a long history in the world of football, became the next victim in the quarterfinal match. After 120 minutes of play ended in a 2-2 draw, Indonesia dramatically won the penalty shoot-out 11-10. The supporters' euphoria was created throughout Indonesia's journey, reaching its peak in the semifinal match.

In the semifinal match, Indonesia had to admit Uzbekistan's victory with a score of 0-2. Indonesia failed to advance to the final, so they had to win the third place match to get a direct ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. "Garuda Muda" will face Iraq on Thursday (2/5/2024) at 10:30 PM WIB.

Once again, Shin has to boost his team's spirits. In a press conference before the match, Shin voiced his "protest" to the AFC. "Both teams will do their best, so I hope the AFC can help the match run with full respect. Players respect the referee, and the referee respects the players, coaches, and coaching staff," said Shin in the press conference on Wednesday (May 1st, 2024).

PSSI

Indonesian U-23 coach Shin Tae-yong gave instructions to his players in the Group A match of the 2024 Asia U-23 Cup against Jordan on Sunday (21/4/2024) at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha.

Whether these words will be effective again, like after the match against Qatar, still needs to be proven. Just lifting the team's spirits after the painful defeat in the semifinals became Shin's main priority. Carrying out mental warfare, including against match officials, is also carried out so that the referee's decisions will not harm the team.

In an article on the These Football Times page, this "us against them" mentality is very useful in football because of the perception that when all parties are hostile, it can foster a stronger sense of collective collectivity among the players, and commitment greater means to achieve that collective goal.

Also read: Praising the Spirit of the U-23 Team, the President is Optimistic that "Garuda Muda" Will Advance to the Paris Olympics

Many legendary coaches in the world apply this siege mentality management style. The two most famous are Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho. With Manchester United, Ferguson built his own bubble, adopting an "us against them" or "everyone is against us" mentality.

An example of Ferguson's style occurred in May, 1999 season, as quoted from The Athletic. At that time, after defender Denis Irwin received a red card against Liverpool, Ferguson said, "We will not let them (officials) prevent us from winning this league." Ferguson at that time also claimed that all parties wanted MU to fail. A few days later, they finally won the Premier League. Ferguson made MU the most successful team in England.

A similar approach is taken by Mourinho. Throughout his coaching career, whenever there is something that becomes an "enemy", it makes Mourinho able to bring out his best abilities. However, not all always end in trophies.

HUMAS PSSI

Indonesia's coach Shin Tae-yong and the team captain and defender of the U-23 Indonesia team, Rizky Ridho, posed for a photo after a press conference ahead of the match between Indonesia and South Korea in the quarter-finals of the 2024 U-23 Asia Cup, on Wednesday (24/4/2024), at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar.

During his time as the Manager of Chelsea, he has built an image as an anti-conservative manager. Under his leadership, the London-based club reached its golden era.

He applied his efforts to build a siege mentality again when he coached Tottenham Hotspur. One example is when Spurs received a penalty from the referee against Newcastle, September 2020. After the match, Mourinho insinuated that the referee had a double standard, as if there were different rules for Spurs from other teams regarding penalty penalties. According to Mourinho, in the same violation situation, Spurs will receive a penalty more easily than other teams.

In an article on Fourfourtwo, Bournemouth psychologist, Dan Abrahams, said, siege mentality in football is an attempt to turn something negative into positive. ”This is the key point of creating a siege mentality. You have to look for the negative outside the club. Has anyone insulted you, has your team been treated unfairly? Use that negativity to encourage the team. Tell the team, 'everyone hates us, everyone wants us to lose.'” Abrahams said.

Will Shin's efforts return to flying the Young Garuda?