March 14, 2026 | 09:00 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesia U-20 national team coach Nova Arianto said he was pleased with the players’ progress during their two-week training camp in Surabaya, East Java.
“I am very pleased with the players’ development over the past two weeks. They have been working very hard in training and trying to understand the game plan that we have prepared,” Nova said before training at Gelora 10 November Stadium in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday, March 13, 2026.
Nova said the coaching staff had spent the past two weeks aligning the U-20 team’s playing style with that of Indonesia’s senior national team, in an effort to ensure continuity in the national setup.
According to him, the players have responded well to the program, leading to encouraging progress.
Rather than holding friendly matches, the U-20 side used the camp for joint training sessions with club teams.
“Last week, we focused on attacking and had joint training with Persela, while this week we focused on defending with Persebaya,” he said, as quoted by Antara.
After the final joint training session before the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the players will temporarily return to their respective clubs. The next phase of the training camp is scheduled to resume on March 31 after the holiday break.
Nova said the next camp will likely be held outside Surabaya, although the location has yet to be finalized.
The former Indonesia international, who played for the national team from 2008 to 2010, also said the coaching staff would evaluate the squad after the first phase of the camp, with possible changes to the player list.
“After that, there will definitely be promotion and demotion of players,” he said.
Nova also left the door open for diaspora players to be called up to strengthen the U-20 squad. However, he acknowledged that bringing in players based overseas is more complicated than selecting those from domestic competitions.
“We are still waiting for the right time to consider the option of calling up diaspora players, because calling them is not as easy as calling up players from within the country,” he said.
As part of preparations for upcoming official tournaments, Nova said he hopes the team can play around 10 to 11 international matches, including the AFF Cup, to give the young players more experience ahead of the qualifiers.
“We plan to have around 10 or 11 international matches, including the AFF Cup, so that the players can gain experience before entering the qualifying rounds,” he said.
Read: Kelme Unveils New Jerseys for Indonesia's National Teams
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