Indonesia National Team opened the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 with a 2-0 victory over Singapore at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, Friday (25/9/2026). This was a perfect result on paper, yet Indonesia's performance still left a number of unanswered questions.
Did Indonesia fail to perform at full capacity, or did John Herdman deliberately opt for a more pragmatic approach?
This question formed the core discussion on the ITSMe podcast recorded at Sentul Studio, Bogor on Saturday (26/9/2026). The episode featured Football Analyst Yusuf Kurniawan, known as Bung Yuke, and Erwin Fitriansyah, hosted by Yatna and Pudila.
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From a football fan's perspective, this lingering sense of dissatisfaction is entirely justified. Indonesia has a squad packed with high quality, experienced players, yet the showing against Singapore did not fully reflect this calibre.
That said, this may well have been an intentional choice rather than a failure on Herdman's part.
Lessons Carried Over From The AFF Cup
Ahead of the FIFA ASEAN Cup kickoff, Herdman had stated he was bringing forward lessons learned from the 2026 AFF Cup, most notably regarding squad rotation.
He explained that during the AFF tournament he was unable to rotate players as extensively as he had wanted. Now, with greater squad depth at his disposal, Herdman has far more tactical flexibility.
The match against Singapore showed clear signs of this adjusted approach.
Thom Haye was not named in the starting line-up, only entering the pitch in the 64th minute. Meanwhile Ragnar Oratmangoen and Mitchell Baker retained their places from kickoff.
Herdman also fielded an all-naturalised starting eleven. Rayhan Hannan and Rizky Ridho were only brought on during the second half.
This demonstrates that Herdman is now utilising squad depth as an active tactical strategy, rather than merely maintaining backup players on the bench.
Is Securing The Win The Top Priority?
Bung Yuke analysed the match through a tournament perspective. He noted that securing three points remains the most important objective at this stage; unpolished performances can be refined in subsequent fixtures.
Indonesia did successfully control possession and create goalscoring chances. That said, the context around the second goal is an important detail.
Singapore were reduced to 10 men after Safuwan Baharudin was shown a red card following a VAR review. Four minutes later, Indonesia were awarded a penalty which Ole Romeny converted successfully in the 74th minute.
This means the 2-0 scoreline does not fully represent how evenly matched the sides were during 11 vs 11 play across the full 90 minutes.
Has Herdman Adopted A Pragmatic Style?
This context makes Herdman's game plan all the more notable.
He did not force every perceived star player into the starting line-up. Haye was held in reserve, then deployed precisely when the match required a change of tempo.
This approach also allows Herdman to manage player fitness effectively. Following the Singapore fixture, Indonesia will face Malaysia on 28 September and Bangladesh on 1 October.
Herdman has acknowledged his squad is still building on-field chemistry. For example, this was Luke Vickery's first ever match playing alongside Mitchell Baker. For this reason, he expects Indonesia's performances will improve progressively as the tournament progresses.
Jay Idzes' Absence Has Not Proven Costly - Yet
Another talking point from the match was the absence of Jay Idzes.
Indonesia still managed to keep a clean sheet. However it is far too early to conclude that Idzes' unavailability will have no impact on the side.
While Singapore did create several chances, their attacking quality did not apply sustained, consistent pressure that would properly test Indonesia's defence.
As such, Idzes' absence did not become a noticeable issue in this specific fixture. The real test will come when Indonesia face opponents with far more dangerous attacking capabilities.
Building A Balanced Unit
Erwin Fitriansyah observed that Herdman's work is not simply about selecting the best individual players - it is about constructing a balanced team across defence, midfield and attack.
Indonesia now boasts an abundance of talented players. The challenge lies in uniting this individual quality within a clear, cohesive playing structure.
There is no requirement to field every star player at once. Nor does every victory need to be won with a spectacular, dominant performance.
Herdman appears to be prioritising the best eleven players for that specific match, rather than automatically picking the eleven biggest names in the squad.
The 2-0 win over Singapore does not prove Indonesia has found their perfect formula yet. But this fixture does show that the lessons learned during the AFF Cup are now shaping Herdman's tactical approach.
Be pragmatic. Stay balanced. Get the win.
Now the question remains: will this approach allow Indonesia to develop increasingly polished, mature performances as the tournament continues?
