Saddam Alvaro

Indonesia, with more than 277 million population, is one of the countries that has a lot of people who love football. The expectation is that with more and more people liking football, there will be many potential young talents available. Surprisingly, Indonesia only has a few players who can play in leagues outside Indonesia, either in Asia or Europe. It is very strange considering that Indonesia actually has a lot of talented people, but they cannot develop for several reasons which I will mention below. The Lack of Facilities The first reason is of course the facilities, which will support the development of the players. Some stadiums do not even fulfill the good standards. Even before the stadium, football fields were still rare to be found in a village. In fact, the more often these talents touch the ball, the more familiar they become with the basic techniques of football. One way to make football games more frequent is to increase the number of facilities such as football fields...

Nowadays, football has evolved from the simple tactic to the more complex one. From “just give it to the striker” to “you should do passes and moves.” Modern football demands the player to start the progress of their tactic from goalkeepers, then gradually start passing the ball to the front. It made major changes in football which requires a player that is able to pass and move. It needs players to adapt to a new environment, which usually the duty for the player has been fixed. For example, center backs only protect the backline from the opposing attacker, midfielder only provides passes for the striker, and strikers only have to score goals. However, center backs now should be able to pass as midfielders. Midfielders are demanded to help center back and forwards which provides them passing options. Forwards should be able to go back and help midfielders. Furthermore, players should follow the rigid rules that their coach has given, even though it doesn't fit their particular pla...

Indonesia has made massive progress under the South Korean Coach, Shin Tae Yong. Since his arrival, The Garuda made the biggest climb up of FIFA ranks from 174 to 129. Indonesian football supporters put their trust in him because of what he has done for around 4 years. But, are those impacts made instantly? Of course, no. There is a long process behind it and it started from fixing particular things inside the Indonesian National Team.  Rule number one: Discipline Coach Shin always emphasizes the word “discipline” and those who do not obey will be getting rid of the team. Several players were being kicked out from the team because they were undisciplined, even though they were showing good performance in their club. It doesn't matter how good you are. The Uses Young Player The Korean Manager uses the young player that had played for the Indonesian National Team with previous managers. He chooses several player aged around 20 years to be the project of the team and sticks with them....

Welcome to my first blog post! You might find it a bit unusual for an English Language and Literature student to write about football, but here I am. While my major doesn’t quite align with this topic, my love for football has been a lifelong passion. As a child, I even dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. This blog is my way of revisiting that dream and expressing my thoughts on the sport. Expect to see posts about football clubs, national teams, the transfer market, and even recommendations for players in Football Manager. Let me kick off this journey by sharing what made me fall in love with football. Some might wonder how a sport involving twenty two players chasing a ball can evoke so much emotion. I wasn’t always sure myself. It all began in 2008, with a match between Persib Bandung and Persiba Balikpapan. That was when I first saw Cristian Gonzales incredible play, and I instantly became a fan.  Back then, it seemed like everyone around me—friends, neighbors—was bu...