Indonesia national team head coach John Herdman believes the first phase of the team’s training camp (TC) ahead of the 2026 ASEAN Championship, held from July 7 to 14, has gone according to plan. The players have shown positive progress in terms of physical fitness, tactical understanding, and character, leaving him with the difficult task of selecting the final 23-man squad for the tournament.
Herdman said the team had just completed the first stage of preparations with seven highly productive days of training. This week’s program focused primarily on building the players’ physical foundation while introducing the tactical concepts that will be implemented during the competition.
According to him, every player was able to train at a high intensity. The coaching staff intentionally pushed the players to test the limits of their abilities as part of the process of building a competitive squad.
“We really went all-in this week. It’s about respecting the process and the effort the players have put in, seeing their desire to compete, and pushing the limits of their abilities,” Herdman said, as quoted from the Indonesia National Team’s YouTube channel on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
The English coach admitted he was impressed by the atmosphere within the squad. He believes the unity among the local players has become one of the Garuda team’s greatest strengths. In his view, the relationships among the players go beyond simply being teammates—they have become like a family. The players consistently help, support, and motivate one another throughout the training camp.
In addition to technical ability, Herdman said the players’ character has become a key consideration in the selection process. According to him, every player has demonstrated a strong mentality by continuing to work hard despite experiencing both physical and mental fatigue from the demanding daily training sessions.
Herdman acknowledged that he now faces a difficult decision, as he can only select 23 players from the current training camp squad to represent Indonesia at the 2026 ASEAN Championship.
Meanwhile, senior defender Jordi Amat also described the first phase of the training camp as a positive experience. He said every player worked hard throughout the week before concluding the program with an internal practice match.
Jordi noted that the team still has several weeks to further refine its performance before the 2026 ASEAN Championship and expressed confidence that the Garuda squad will be even better prepared for the challenge.
“We’ve worked extremely hard throughout this week. I’m proud of what the team has accomplished, and we’re all very excited to take on this new challenge,” he said.***
