Indonesia's recent performance has shocked everyone! The competition in the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup's top 18 was already tense and fierce, but no one expected a team that many had underestimated to rise up - that's Indonesia. You heard it right, Indonesia! Their performance in this qualifying round is really something to talk about, becoming a true dark horse. And while our national football team is in trouble, this can't help but make people reflect: where exactly is the gap?
Let's start with Indonesia, which is really surprising. Their success did not happen overnight, but after a period of effort and adjustment, especially in the past two years, they have started to vigorously introduce naturalized players. Indonesia even attracted more than ten Dutch players to join, which greatly enhanced their overall strength. Judging from the performance in the game, the addition of naturalized players has really been effective, enhancing the competitiveness of the team. Although they encountered some problems at first, through competitions with strong teams such as Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Bahrain, Indonesia showed a very noticeable strength. So far, Indonesia has accumulated 6 points and ranks third in the group with a goal difference advantage, with a fierce momentum.
Now let's look at our Chinese team. Compared with Indonesia's performance, the situation of the national football team seems a bit embarrassing. The naturalized players of the national football team, like Luo Guofu and Hou Yongyong, although appeared on the court, their effects are not obvious, and the overall performance of the team is also average. In fact, the all-Chinese lineup of the national football team, although it showed a decent performance in some games, there are still many problems, especially in the upcoming decisive battles, how the team will deal with it is still a big question mark. Compared with Indonesia, the national football team's naturalization efforts are obviously much smaller, and Toshir's investment in the Indonesian team is also to help them enhance their competitiveness in the World Cup, which has given Indonesia strong support behind the scenes. This is precisely what the national football team currently lacks.
What's even more worrying is that the national football team suffered two defeats against Japan, especially the 0-2 loss to Japan, which exposed many shortcomings of the team. Although the all-Chinese lineup of the national football team performed beyond expectations, in the next game, especially when facing strong teams, whether the team can withstand the pressure and how to break through the current dilemma is still a great challenge. At this time, the national football team needs to rely on naturalized players, such as Serginho and Oscar, to enhance the overall strength.
Speaking of Japan, this is also a key factor for the national football team to qualify. Japan has already qualified in advance, so will they water down the remaining games? If Japan really adopts a water-down strategy against Indonesia in the next game, it may be an opportunity for the national football team. But you know, on the issue of watering down, historically, Japan has caused controversy due to watering down the game against Vietnam after qualifying in advance. If this happens again, the impact may be huge, especially the point difference between Indonesia and the national football team will be reduced, and it may even change the final qualification situation.
Back to Indonesia, their 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia has made their momentum extremely strong. Although Indonesia lost to the national football team and Japan, they still have hope to compete for the qualification in the next game by drawing with other strong teams. Indonesia's offensive firepower, tactical execution, and fighting spirit in the game all show their strong rebound momentum. The next few games will be the key moment for them to complete the dark horse counterattack.
At this time, many netizens began to discuss whether the rise of Indonesia means the failure of the national football team? The investment of Indonesia and the addition of naturalized players have made their strength soar, while the naturalized players of the national football team seem to have not achieved the expected effect. Taking the performance on the field as an example, Indonesia's overall strength is stronger than that of the national football team. Their progress in technology and tactics has obviously surpassed the national football team. Many netizens also began to worry about the future of the national football team, especially in the face of competitors like Indonesia, can the national football team really hold on?
Some netizens said: The rise of Indonesia this time is completely relying on the power of naturalized players. Those naturalized players from the Netherlands are really injecting powerful blood into Indonesia, and what about the naturalized players of the national football team? It feels like a decoration, not playing the role it should play. Coupled with the internal problems of the national football team, such as single tactics and unstable defense, it is really hard to say whether the national football team can break through this dilemma.
Another netizen said: In fact, I think the problem of the national football team is not just about naturalized players, the fundamental reason is still the low level of our overall football. From grassroots training to professional leagues and international competitions, our football environment has never been able to keep pace with the world. Although naturalized players can to some extent make up for the lack of strength, this does not mean that the national football team can become a strong team overnight. We need to fundamentally solve these problems, rather than relying on several naturalized players.
And a netizen has a different view: I don't think the national football team has no hope yet. In fact, judging from the recent games, the performance of the national football team is better than expected. Although often overwhelmed when facing strong teams, sometimes football is like this, the situation can change instantly. I think the national football team should pay more attention to teamwork and psychological quality improvement, especially at critical moments, how to deal with pressure is the key to their breakthrough.
A netizen summarized: In fact, to put it bluntly, if the national football team wants to succeed, the most important thing is to have a clear goal and development direction. The addition of naturalized players can help us improve our strength, but we can't count on them to solve all the problems. The foundation of football still relies on the development of domestic players and all-round reform. In the long run, only by comprehensively improving its strength can the national football team truly catch up with other strong Asian teams.
Overall, the momentum of Indonesia's dark horse has put great pressure on the national football team, but it has also aroused our enthusiasm and attention to football. No matter what the result is, the next game will decide whether Indonesia and the national football team can stand out from the group.