Recruiting a good Dutch coach but lacking naturalized stars, U.22 Indonesia will find it difficult to stop U.22 Vietnam

U.22 Indonesia has a new coach

U.22 Indonesia is aiming for a quality candidate for the position of head coach at SEA Games 33. Mr. Indra Sjafri is likely to no longer hold the position of "captain", but will give way to coach Gerald Vanenburg, a new name in the coaching community in Southeast Asia.

Gerard Vanenburg is no stranger to Dutch football fans. At the peak of his career, Vanenburg played for famous teams such as Ajax Amsterdam (played 173 matches, scored 64 goals) or PSV Eindhoven (played 199 matches, scored 48 goals). He played 42 matches for the Dutch national team between 1982 and 1992, scoring 1 goal.

U.22 Indonesia (red shirt) prepares to welcome new coach

Besides, Vanenburg also played for FC Utrecht, Cannes, Jubilo Iwata and 1860 Munich. He played in 4 countries (Netherlands, Germany, France, Japan), is considered to have rich experience, having been exposed to many different football schools.

Gerard Vanenburg retired in 2000 and started his coaching career as a PSV youth coach for 5 years. After that, the former Dutch international moved to many clubs, taking on different positions such as coach and assistant. He was selected by new coach Patrick Kluivert to be part of the assistant team of the Indonesian national team. It is very likely that the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) targeted Mr. Vanenburg to ensure continuity in terms of playing style and operation from the U.22 team to the national team, when both teams are led by Dutch coaches.

Coach Vanenburg’s first challenge with U.22 Indonesia is the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship qualifiers (starting in September 2025), when the young team of the archipelago country aims to reach the final round. In November, U.22 Indonesia will enter the most important campaign of the year, called SEA Games 33.

The race is relentless

The pressure on coach Vanenburg at SEA Games 33 will be huge. Mr. Indra Sjafri once led U.22 Indonesia to win the SEA Games 32 and finish second at SEA Games 30, but after the defeat with U.20 Indonesia in the final round of the 2025 AFC U-20 Championship, this veteran coach was heavily criticized.

U.22 Indonesia likely cannot call up naturalized players for SEA Games 33

Mr. Sjafri has considered resigning, while CNN Indonesia reported that PSSI is calculating the coach's future, leaving open the possibility of firing him. Responding to the Indonesian press, some football experts said that coach Sjafri did not fulfill his duties when U.20 Indonesia only won 1 point after 3 matches. However, it is difficult to blame the former coach of U.22 Indonesia when the country's youth team fell into a very difficult group (with U.20 Iran and U.20 Uzbekistan), so the possibility of a surprise for U.20 Indonesia is almost zero.

Therefore, if he fails to defend his gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games, it will be difficult for Coach Vanenburg to keep his position. However, the quality of young Indonesian players is a problem. Unlike the Indonesian team with the upgrade from naturalized players, young Indonesian talents do not often get to play. The only native U.22 player trusted in the Indonesian team is Marselino Ferdinan.

The biggest stars of U.22 Indonesia such as Marselino Ferdinan, Rafael Struick, Ivar Jenner or Justin Hubner are all playing in Europe. The possibility of U.22 Indonesia calling these players back to play in SEA Games 33 (not part of FIFA Days) is extremely low. At AFF Cup 2024, coach Shin Tae-yong was only able to call Marselino back to play. The remaining players were not allowed to return to the national team by their home teams.

Lacking naturalized players from Europe, Indonesia was eliminated in the group stage, earning only 4 points after 4 matches.

That is a warning for U.22 Indonesia at SEA Games 33. Without naturalized players, coach Vanenburg and his team will not be able to defend the gold medal.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chieu-mo-hlv-ha-lan-gioi-nhung-thieu-sao-nhap-tich-u22-indonesia-kho-can-u22-viet-nam-185250222180142323.htm