Dewangga Arrives, Indonesia U-23 Gets Additional Back Line Strength

Alfeandra Dewangga has arrived in France ahead of Indonesia facing Guinea.

PSSI

Indonesia's U-23 national team's central defender, Alfeandra Dewangga, has participated in a training session with his teammates at Leo Lagrange Stadium in Besancon, France on Tuesday (May 7, 2024). Dewangga just arrived in France on Tuesday morning.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The central defender from PSIS Semarang, Alfeandra Dewangga, has arrived in France to add strength to the back line of the Indonesian U-23 squad to face Guinea, Thursday (9/5/2024) at 20.00 WIB, at the Clairefontaine National Training Center, France. Dewangga's presence adds to the player options in the central defender position in the 2024 Paris Olympics playoffs Paris 2024.

Whether I play or not, I hope to help the team qualify for the Olympics. I have also known my teammates for a long time, although there are some new colleagues on the national team.

Dewangga has joined his 22 team-mates for a training session on Tuesday (7/5/2024) afternoon at Leo Lagrance Stadium, Besancon, France. Prior to this, Dewangga landed in Paris on Tuesday around 09.00 after a long air journey from Semarang, Central Java, on Monday (6/5/2024).

Also read: Indonesia U-23 is chasing time to overcome the central defender crisis

”My condition is just jetlagbecause I just arrived, but I am trying to quickly adapt to my teammates. "I see my friends are in good condition and have good chemistry," said Dewangga.

The 22-year-old player revealed that Coach Shin Tae-yong and the coaching staff asked him not to exert too much energy during the first training session. Nevertheless, Dewangga is determined to use all of his abilities to help the team qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

PSSI

Midfielder of the Indonesian U-23 national team, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, is dribbling the ball during practice at Leo Lagrange Stadium, Besancon, France, on Tuesday (7/5/2024). Nathan is a key player for Indonesia in the play-off for the 2024 Paris Olympics against Guinea.

”Whether I play or not, my hope is to be able to help the team qualify for the Olympics. I have also known my teammates for a long time, although there are some new colleagues on the national team,” he said.

Dewangga is also a member of Indonesia's U-23 squad in the qualifying round for the 2024 Asian Cup U-23, which took place in September 2023. He was included in the lineup when Indonesia faced Taiwan and Turkmenistan at Manahan Stadium in Surakarta, Central Java.

Also read: Falling from Iraq, Indonesia Knocks on the Final Door to the Paris Olympics

The presence of Dewangga adds depth to the "Garuda Muda" squad in the central defender position. This is because Shin has lost two key defenders, Rizky Ridho and Justin Hubner, due to different reasons.

Ridho is still serving his red card penalty that he received in the semi-final match of the 2024 U-23 Asia Cup against Uzbekistan. The Persija Jakarta player received a straight red card and was absent for two consecutive matches. He has already served his first penalty in the third-place play-off match against Iraq on Thursday (2/5/2024).

PSSI

A number of players from the Indonesian U-23 team were seen smiling, including Pratama Arhan and Rio Fahmi (center), while undergoing a training program at the Leo Lagrange Stadium in Besancon, France on Tuesday, May 7th, 2024. Indonesia is preparing for a play-off match for the Paris 2024 Olympics against Guinea, which will take place on Thursday, May 9th, 2024.

In addition, Indonesia has also lost Justin who has returned to his club, Cerezo Osaka. According to the initial agreement between the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) and the Japanese League team, Justin was only allowed to represent the Garuda Muda team until the completion of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup.

Also read: Indonesia vs Guinea, Twin Ambition to End Long Wait to Appear at the Olympics

With that situation, Indonesian U-23 Coach Shin Tae-yong came to France with only three players who could fill the three central defender positions in the match against Guinea at the Clairefontaine National Training Center, France. They are Muhammad Ferrari, Komang Teguh, and Nathan Tjoe-A-On.