Indonesia head coach hopes fans will be patient

“We focused on improving our stamina for most of the time in Turkey,” Shin said after the defeat against Libya on Sunday. “We only had a brief training on tactics one day before the game. The lineup for this game was intended for our opening game against Iraq at the Asian Cup, and the players have shown their effort.”

The South Korean coach said he was pleased with the performance of the team, although Indonesia lost to Libya twice in a row, with the scores 0-4 and 1-2 in Turkey.

“You just need to be patient and Indonesia will surely be successful,” Shin added. “Of course, we want to beat Libya, but Indonesia don’t have enough strength at the moment. Fans should not be hasty about our progress.”

Shin was appointed Indonesia head coach in 2020, replacing Simon McMenemy. The 53-year-old coach also took charge of the youth teams from U19 to U23. His contract with the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) is valid until June 2024. The association will take a look at the results of the 2024 Asian Cup and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers to see if they want to extend Shin’s contract.

In both the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers, Indonesia are in the same group as Vietnam. They will play Iraq on Jan. 15. Four days later is the Southeast Asian clash with Vietnam. The biggest challenge for Indonesia is facing Japan on Jan. 24.

Indonesia will also play two more games against Vietnam at the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March. If Indonesia lose to Vietnam in both games, their chance at the qualifiers will be over and Shin might get sacked early.