Lao football Fanclub

Football Coach Calls SEA Games Semifinals a ‘Realistic’ Goal for Indonesia

The last time the nation took the men’s football title at the Southeast Asian Games was 18 years ago, and head coach Alberto Bica hinted on Monday that the dry spell may last a while longer.

The National Team Body (BTN), gave the country’s Under-23 team a lofty goal for next month’s SEA Games in Laos — to make it to the title match.

Given his team’s lackluster performance in recent months, however, Alberto played down expectations. “Every coach surely wants to take his team to the final and win the gold. But we have to be realistic. Reaching the semifinals is a more achievable goal,” Bica said after Monday’s 3-1 defeat in a friendly to Malaysia at Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang.

It was the U-23 squad’s fifth straight loss, but the first under Bica’s tenure.

In May, the national team lost 5-0 to Iran’s senior team and 2-1 to their U-23 counterparts in Tehran. The club also fell 1-0 to Malaysia and 2-0 to Singapore in June.

Bica, who took over from fellow Uruguayan Payovich on Aug. 23, said professional clubs’ reluctance to release their players for national team appearances was a major factor in the squad’s sputtering form.

In the SEA Games, Indonesia was drawn in Group B with Laos, Myanmar and Singapore. Defending champion Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, East Timor and Vietnam make up Group A. The top two teams after the group phase will qualify for semifinals.

Matches will kick off on Dec. 2, a week before the SEA Games opening ceremony on Dec. 9.

The last time the men’s national team won SEA Games gold was in 1991 in Manila, while its last medal — a bronze — came in 1999. 


Antara
http://thejakartaglobe.com/sports/football-coach-calls-sea-games-semifinals-a-realistic-goal-for-indonesia/340843