Screenshots of Indonesian media reports
Indonesian media Bola said that considering that the Indonesian Football Association has appointed a technical director and chief scout from the Netherlands, it is very likely that the new Indonesian national team head coach will also be from the Netherlands. The report also stated that most Indonesian players were born and raised in the Netherlands, and appointing a Dutch coach will make the communication process smoother.
The media has an outlook on the new Indonesian coach: "Which Dutch coaches have the potential to become the new head coach of the Indonesian national team? The following is our detailed analysis."
Mark van Bommel
The first Dutch coach who has the potential to become the new coach of the Indonesian national team is Mark van Bommel, who is also a legend of the Dutch national team.
Van Bommel is recognized as one of the best defensive midfielders of his era. He has also played for top European clubs such as PSV, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.
Since 2018, he decided to start a coaching career. He has coached Eindhoven, Wolfsburg and Royal Antwerp, and led Royal Antwerp to win the Belgian League, Belgian Cup and Belgian Super Cup. He is currently out of work and could be considered as Patrick Cruyff's successor.
Frank De Boer
The second Dutch coach candidate who may become the new coach of the Indonesian national team is Frank De Boer.
As a coach, De Boer has coached many top European clubs such as Ajax, Inter Milan and Crystal Palace. But his plus point is that he coached the Dutch adult national team for one year from 2020-2021.
De Boer has not returned to coaching since breaking up with the Abu Dhabi Peninsula Club in 2023 last year. De Boer has a good relationship with Indonesian Football Association President Eric Tohir, who appointed him as Inter Milan coach in 2016. Therefore, the two are expected to work together again in the Indonesian national team.
Philip Cocu
The third Dutch coach candidate who may become the new coach of the Indonesian national team is Philip Cocu.
Cocu is one of the well-known coaches in the Netherlands. He led PSV to dominance in the Eredivisie from 2014 to 2018.
The former Barcelona player has also been idle since breaking up with Vitesse in 2023. Cocu also served as the assistant coach of the Dutch national team for four years from 2008 to 2012, so he has experience coaching a national team.
Erik Ten Hag
The next Dutch coach candidate who can be considered as the new coach of the Indonesian national team is Eric Ten Hag.
Ten Hag is a well-known Dutch coach. He won three Eredivisie trophies with Ajax and the FA Cup and League Cup with Manchester United.
Ten Hag himself is currently not coaching a club since being fired by Bayer Leverkusen a few months ago. However, his shortcoming is the lack of experience in coaching national teams.
Van Bronckhorst
The last Dutch coach candidate who may succeed Patrick Cruyff is Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
As a player, he is recognized as one of the best midfielders in the history of the Dutch national team. He has also coached top European clubs such as Feyenoord, Rangers and Besiktas.
What makes Van Bronckhorst unique compared to the previous candidates is that both of his parents have Indonesian ancestry. But the problem is that he is currently Arne Slott's assistant coach at Liverpool, so it will take extra effort to convince him to join the Indonesian national team.