Without Rizky Ridho, Indonesia U-23 lost big against Iraq

Rizky Ridho has a big role in Indonesia's defense and attack. Shin Tae-yong needs alternative tactics without Ridho.

AFC

The silhouette of the center-back and captain of Indonesia, Rizky Ridho, in the Group A match of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup against Australia on Thursday (4/18/2024) at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Rizky couldn't participate in the third-place match against Iraq on Thursday (5/2/2024) because he received a red card in the semifinal match against Uzbekistan.

After a painful 0-2 defeat to Uzbekistan in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup semifinal duel, Monday (29/4/2024), Indonesia U-23 Coach Shin Tae-yong still believes His team can reach the 2024 Paris Olympics. "Young Garuda" still has one more way from Qatar to appear in Paris 2024 in the match for third place against Iraq, Thursday (2/5/2024) at 22.30 WIB, at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium , Doha.

"We are all confident that we can reach the Olympics. We still have one match left, so we will prepare ourselves as best as possible for the third place playoff," said Shin.

However, preparations for the decisive match against Iraq will not be easy. Apart from preparing tactics and raising the mental condition of his team, the South Korean tactician also has to think about finding a replacement for Rizky Ridho who is the center back and captain of "Garuda Muda".

Also read: Nervousness Eradicates Dreams of Indonesian U-23 Champion

Ridho received a red card in the 84th minute after fouling Uzbekistan midfielder and captain, Jasurbek Jaloliddinov. Chinese referee Shen Yinhao instantly handed the red card to the Persija Jakarta player after consulting with the video assistant referee (VAR).

PSSI

Left winger of the Indonesian U-23 team, Pratama Arhan, did physical training at Qatar University Training Center, Doha, on Wednesday (17/4/2024). In the official training session, Coach Shin Tae-yong focused on training tactics that adjusted to the opponent.

The captain's armband on Ridho's arm will be transferred to Pratama Arhan, who is the second captain of the Indonesian U-23 Team. If Arhan does not play from the start, the captain's armband will be worn on the left arm of midfielder Nathan Tjoe-A-On.

The U-23 national team must focus on anticipating crosses against Iraq, both high and low. The most notable weakness of the team is the lack of anticipation in suppressing attacks from the right and left sides of the defense.

However, the problem is not who uses the captain's armband. What is most felt is the loss of Ridho's leadership from the backline. The former player of Persebaya Surabaya was the person who led the coordination in the defensive process. He often shouted to remind his teammates to perform flawlessly in defense and encouraged his friends.

Also read: Come on, fly again "Young Garuda"

Ridho is also a figure who leads by example. In the defense task, Ridho is the player who created the most sweeps for the Indonesian squad. He has produced 23 sweeps from five appearances.

The figure puts Ridho only behind Qatar's defender, Mohamed Aiash, who led the list of sweeping in the 2024 U-23 Asia Cup tournament. Aiash made 25 sweeps before his team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Japan. The Indonesian player who came close to Ridho's statistics was Arhan with 11 sweeps.

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The action of Indonesian midfielder Nathan Tjoe-A-On controlling the ball during the Group A match of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, on Sunday (21/4/2024), at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.

In addition, Ridho is also one of the most active players in making interceptions for Indonesia. Seven interceptions or cutting off the opponent's passes were created by Ridho, who wears number five. In the interception record in the "Garuda Muda" squad, Ridho is only second to his teammate Muhammad Ferrari, who made eight interceptions.

Dede Sulaeman, legend of the Indonesian National Team, believes that Uzbekistan has exploited Indonesia's weaknesses which have been seen in the previous four games. According to Dede, Shin must determine the best choice to fill Ridho's position and minimize weaknesses in Indonesia's defense.

Also read: Even though it is difficult, Indonesia is believed to be able to conquer Iraq

"The U-23 national team must focus on anticipating cross passes from Iraq, both high and low. The most prominent weakness of the team is the lack of anticipation to suppress attacks from the right and left sides of the defense," said Dede.

When asked about the ideal replacement candidate for Ridho, Dede mentioned Komang Teguh and Nathan Tjoe-A-On. Komang played from the start in the first two matches of Group A and against South Korea. The Borneo FC player has also scored two goals.

Meanwhile, Nathan, who played as a midfielder in five Qatar 2024 games, is positioned purely as a defender. He can play as a center-back and left-back.

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Indonesia's defender, Muhammad Ferrari (3), fooled South Korean player, Park Sanghoon, during the quarterfinal match of the 2024 U-23 Asia Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar, early Friday morning (26/4/2024) WIB. Indonesia defeated South Korea through a penalty shootout. This victory led Indonesia to advance to the semifinals.

Beginning of attack

Apart from his defensive duties, Ridho is also very important in the build-up process of Indonesia's attack from the back line. He was the first player to control the ball when Garuda Muda started the attack process.

Ridho has created 215 passes in five games. That means Ridho produces 43 passes per match. This number is significantly uneven compared to other Indonesian players.

Also read: Defeated by Uzbekistan, Indonesia U-23's chances of going to the Paris Olympics are still open

Ridho excels in the role of rolling short balls from below. For example, Ferrari created 175 passes and Nathan recorded 171 passes. Not only that, Ridho has also created one assist for Witan Sulaeman's goal in the match against Jordan. Three key passes have also been created by Ridho.

To replace Ridho's two roles in Indonesia's attacking game process, Shin has the opportunity to use two different players. Justin Hubner has the ability to be the first player to flow the ball from Indonesia's back line. Even Nathan can be returned to his original position.

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Indonesian defender, Justin Hubner, blocked the shot of Jordanian player, Aref Al Haj, in the final match of Group A in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, on Sunday (21/4/2024), at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha.

The task of advancing to aid the attack can be substituted by Ferrari. The former player of the Kompas League U-14 season 2017-2018 often advances to become an additional player in the midfield when defending Persija.

Although it's not easy to replace Ridho's role, Shin and his coaching staff have certainly thought of various alternative plans so that the Garuda Muda squad can rise up and defeat Iraq. The match against Iraq can also be a time for revenge for Shin and some Indonesian players who lost to Iraq in the Qualification rounds for the 2026 World Cup and 2023 Asia Cup.

"The players were mentally and physically exhausted in the semifinals. I rested the players on Tuesday, and then tomorrow (Wednesday), we will prepare ourselves to face the important match for a spot in the Olympics," said Shin.

In Shin we trust!