Turning off Ali Jassim, Indonesia's chance of winning over Iraq increases

The third duel between Indonesia versus Iraq will be presented in the match for third place 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, Thursday (2/5/2024) at 22.30, at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Even though the majority of players who will compete in the U-23 Asian Cup did not appear in the previous two matches, a number of the mainstay players of both teams are those who already understand each other's strengths.

In the Indonesian camp, Pratama Arhan, Rafael Struick, and Witan Sulaeman have appeared in two senior Indonesian National Team matches against Iraq. Defender Rizky Ridho always appeared from the early minutes in the two games, but Ridho missed the match for third place in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup due to a red card.

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Marselino Ferdinan, the Indonesian winger striker, is the player who scored a goal against Iraq in the 2023 Asia Cup. Marselino's achievement could be a stepping stone for Indonesia to secure victory and seal an automatic ticket for Asia's representative in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, before discussing Indonesia's strengths, the "Garuda Muda" squad also needs to look for the antithesis of Iraq's game. Without a doubt, Ali Jassim's left-wing striker was the center of gravity of Iraq's offensive strategy.

The player from the Iraqi club, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, is the youngest member of the senior Iraqi national team's core squad since late 2023. He has also helped Iraq qualify for the 2023 U-20 World Cup.

Jassim is a "destroyer" of Indonesia's defense in the duel in Basra. He contributed two assists in the last two goals of Iraq, resulting in Indonesia returning home with a bowed head due to a complete defeat of 1-5.

Both teams will do their best, so I hope the AFC can help the game run with full respect. Players show respect to the referee, and the referee also respects the players, coaches, and coaching staff.

He also played a full game in the 2023 Asia Cup. In total, Jassim always played 90 minutes in two matches against Indonesia. This has made the 1.78 meter-tall player fully understand Indonesia's style of play.

Also read: Praising the Spirit of the U-23 Team, the President is Optimistic that "Garuda Muda" Will Advance to the Paris Olympics

On the other hand, Jassim will face the Indonesian U-23 team that does not have a single experienced defender to face him. Justin Hubner appeared in the Indonesia vs Iraq match in the Asian Cup, but he played as a defensive midfielder.

Superior statistics

In the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, Jassim deserves to be called the most outstanding individual player. He was able to carry Iraq to the semi-finals single-handedly.

Having previously lost to Thailand in the opening match of the group stage, Jassim showed his experience in appearing in several international events to help Iraq defeat Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia. His single goal through a penalty kick against Vietnam also ensured the Lion of Mesopotamia's progress to the semifinals.

Jassim's statistical record is impressive. He is one of the top scorers in the 2024 U-23 Asia Cup with a collection of three goals. Although all three of his goals came from penalty kicks, Jassim's movements and passes caused opposing players to commit fouls in their penalty boxes.

Jassim is also the player with the most number of shots recorded, as well as shots towards goal in Qatar 2024. He has created 17 shots in five matches. Of that number, eight shots hit the mark. No other player can match Jassim's collection of shots towards goal.

Also read: Without Rizky Ridho, Indonesia U-23 Loses Big Against Iraq

The ability to shoot is generally initiated by individual actions to surpass opponents. Jassim can deceive opponents in a one-on-one situation, either through dribbling skills or speed advantage. This makes it very difficult to stop Jassim.

He also has a great tactical understanding. Jassim starts the game on the left side, but can move to the center and sometimes also sweep the opponent's defense from the right corner of Iraq's attacking line.

The 20-year-old player can play in all attacking midfielder positions in the team's 4-2-3-1 tactics. This makes Jassim play a major role in creating Iraq's attack. He has recorded 10 key passes and two assists.

When the majority of attackers only wait for the final pass, Jassim actively participates in Iraq's offensive process. He is a forward with the most pass records in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. In total, Ali has performed 194 passes or 39 passes per game.

In the Iraqi squad, Jassim's quantity of plays is only second to defender Zaid Tahseen, who is the initial distributor of the ball from the backline. Tahseen had recorded 291 passes.

Even though it is difficult to block Jassim, Indonesian coach Shin Tae-yong can learn from Thai and Japanese methods to suppress Jassim. Not only did they place one player to shadow Jassim, the two teams also minimized the flow of the ball to Jassim.

Also read: Even though it is difficult, Indonesia is believed to be able to conquer Iraq

This method can be done by pressing intensely on the Iraqi defenders and middle players who are the organizers of the attack. At the back, Tahseen often made long diagonal passes towards Jassim. Muhtadher Mohammed, Iraqi midfielder and captain, is his team's attack leader in midfield.

Apart from that tactical preparation, Shin hopes that the match officials appointed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) can display a performance that does not harm both teams.

"Both teams will do their best, so I hope AFC can help the match to run with full respect. Players respect the referee, and the referee also respects the players, coaches, and coaching staff," said Shin in a press conference ahead of the match on Wednesday (May 1, 2024) in Doha.

Indonesian Recipes

On the other hand, the return of Rafael Struick will help Indonesia to optimize their quick counterattack transition game, which failed to be applied in the semi-final match.

Rafael can hold the ball to wait for his teammates' movements to advance. He is also skilled at performing quick one-two passes with Marselino and Witan in the forward line.

The movement of Rafael, Marselino, and Witan as the spearhead trident to exchange positions has proven difficult to contain by opponents, such as Australia, Jordan, and South Korea. This scheme was not seen when Ramadhan Sananta filled Rafael's position in the match against Uzbekistan.

Rafael is also an Indonesian player with the best shooting accuracy, which is 50 percent. Rafael created six shots on target from 12 shooting attempts.

"Rafael didn't play in the semifinals so that helped him to recover better physically," said Shin.

Quick passes in front of the penalty box and combinations of long passes that split the Iraqi defense lines could be the main ingredients for Indonesia's pursuit of goals. Japan has proven that, even though they are inferior in body posture to the Iraqi defenders, they make good use of their speed advantage.

Iraq U-23 Team Coach Radhi Shenaishil admitted that Indonesia was a team he had been monitoring since the start of the tournament. He believes that the Indonesian game is developing from game to game.

”Indonesia is a typical Asian team that has a very fast transition. We have to be careful to stop them,” said Shenaishil.

Another thing, in order to increase their chances of securing a ticket to the Paris Olympics, Indonesia must strive to score goals first in the first half.

You can do it, Young Garuda!