Decoding the formidable strength of U.23 Indonesia: U.23 Vietnam must find a way to neutralize it

Having to face the host team U.23 Indonesia in the final match of the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament at 8:00 p.m. today creates a big challenge for U.23 Vietnam.

THE STRONGEST ATTACK IN THE TOURNAMENT

U.23 Indonesia is the team with the most goals in the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament before the final, with 10 goals after 4 matches (average 2.5 goals/match). Of which, naturalized striker Jens Raven of Dutch origin leads the list of top scorers with 7 goals. With the strengths of physical strength and speed, U.23 Indonesia is capable of constantly putting pressure on the opponent.

Vietnam's defense must be especially careful against the threat of naturalized player Jens Raven (number 21).

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

In the last 4 matches, U.23 Indonesia beat Brunei 8-0, beat the Philippines 1-0, drew Malaysia 0-0 and won U.23 Thailand 7-6 in a penalty shootout. U.23 Philippines coach Garrath McPherson commented: "The home team is very dangerous with passes behind the opponent's defense. After these passes, the Indonesian attackers accelerate past the opponent's defenders, then exploit the gaps created."

In terms of scoring rate, U.23 Indonesia is slightly better than U.23 Vietnam. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team scored 7 goals after 3 matches, an average of 2.33 goals/match. We also do not have any strikers approaching Jens Raven's 7 goals. Striker Dinh Bac and center back Hieu Minh each have only scored 2 goals after 3 matches.

Assessing the strength of U.23 Indonesia: Home field advantage and what else?

U.23 Indonesia and the POWERFUL "WEAPON"

Another strength of U.23 Indonesia is the ability to exploit set-piece situations, especially from throw-ins and corner kicks. The young team of the archipelago has midfielder Robi Darwis who throws the ball very strongly. This player's throw-ins are no different from foot passes from the sideline flying straight into the opponent's penalty area, bringing the ball to the position right in front of the opponent's goal.

Robi Darwis (left) throws in very hard

This particularly powerful "weapon" of U.23 Indonesia is being specially guarded by U.23 Vietnam. CNN Indonesia reported: "Coach Kim Sang-sik's assistants, including Lee Jung-soo and Yoon Dong-hun, attended the match between U.23 Indonesia and U.23 Malaysia in the group stage. They paid special attention to Robi Darwis' throw-ins. Darwis' throw-ins were as strong as those of Pratama Arhan of the Indonesian team. This is an Indonesian "specialty" that once caused coach Troussier to lose his job with the Vietnamese team."

The throw-ins and corner kicks of U.23 Indonesia are even more dangerous because in the opponent's penalty area, striker Jens Raven (1.89 m tall), defender Kadek Arel (1.84 m tall) and right-back Kakang Rudianto (1.85 m tall) are always waiting to fight in the air. U.23 Indonesia broke through the net of U.23 Thailand in the semi-final on July 25 from such an air battle scenario. That is why U.23 Vietnam must be even more cautious.

Another obvious strength of U.23 Indonesia is the home field advantage. Coach Gerald Vanenburg and his team (Netherlands) will play at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, which has a capacity of nearly 80,000 spectators. The tremendous pressure from the stands forces the visiting U.23 Vietnam team to solve the psychological problem very carefully. The young Vietnamese players must be extremely alert. They must focus completely on their skills, strictly follow the tactics set out by Coach Kim Sang-sik, and avoid falling into provocations from the opponent.

THE ONLY MATCH WITH VAR

This is the only match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament with VAR ( video technology to assist referees), so every move on the field will be closely monitored.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giai-ma-suc-manh-dang-gom-cua-u23-indonesia-u23-viet-nam-phai-tim-cach-hoa-giai-185250728235503422.htm