John Herdman to empower young players and develop potential

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The journey and big dream of the Indonesian national team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup has ended. After briefly having a glimmer of hope, the Garuda team could only fly as far as the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian zone. This failure also brings about a major reshuffle after the coaching team led by head coach Patrick Kluivert was terminated by the All Indonesia Football Association (PSSI). Shortly after, PSSI appointed former Canadian national team coach John Herdman on January 3 to lead the transition of the Indonesian national team, which is expected to prepare well in advance for the 2030 World Cup. John Herdman came to Indonesia bringing a number of blueprints and strategic steps, especially to carry out the regeneration process, given that Indonesia is faced with preparations within approximately three years to face the 2030 World Cup qualifiers. Herdman’s concrete steps to carry out regeneration have begun to be seen in his debut in handling Indonesia in the FIFA Series 2026, in March. Herdman, who called up a total of 26 players to join the Garuda squad, showed a composition dominated by a combination of experienced players and mature young players, with the average age of players in the squad reaching 25.7 years. This is a strategic step taken by Herdman, considering that the British coach is one of the coaches who has a portfolio of often giving playing time or promoting potential young players. In a special interview with the Antara Sports Editorial Team in Jakarta, Tuesday (12/5), John Herdman said that Indonesia currently has a very potential source of young players. Empowering young players.