Jakarta – Shin Tae-yong has entered his fourth year as the coach of the Indonesia National Team. Looking back, he admitted that the Garuda Squad used to feel intimidated when facing big teams, but things changed when they faced Argentina.
Since late December 2019, Shin Tae-yong was officially appointed as the coach of the Indonesia National Team, and he began his work in early 2020. Under his leadership, the team has gradually transformed into a stronger side, making a mark in Asia.
The proof is that Shin Tae-yong managed to bring the Garuda Squad up 48 places in the FIFA rankings. Several records were also broken, such as qualifying the U-23 national team for the AFC U-23 Championship, the senior national team qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup, and now entering the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
In an interview on Lee Kyung-kyu’s YouTube channel, Shin Tae-yong was asked about the development of the Indonesia National Team. According to him, the team’s system has improved significantly.
“Now, it’s getting better. The coaching system and everything else are more organized. It took time, but it’s heading in the right direction,” he explained.
Shin Tae-yong emphasized the importance of mental strength. He said that Indonesian players used to give up easily.
“When I first arrived, young Indonesian players would give up. For example, when facing stronger opponents like Saudi Arabia or teams ranked 20-30 places higher, they would think, ‘Ah, we can’t win against them, their team is better,'” he revealed.
“It happened often, they would give up before the match even started. That’s why the results weren’t optimal, and they would start looking for excuses,” he continued.
The turning point came when the PSSI invited the Argentina National Team for a FIFA Matchday game on June 19, 2023. The 0-2 loss was actually seen by Shin Tae-yong as something that boosted the players’ confidence many times over.
“We lost 0-2 to Argentina, but we played really well. We only conceded two goals against the number one-ranked team in the world, the World Cup champions. We also had two golden opportunities to score. The players’ confidence increased,” he explained.
“That’s when they started to think, ‘Actually, we can do this.’ Gradually, their confidence improved and grew,” concluded STY.
