Persija Jakarta lost the final match of the season in Liga 1 at home against PSS Sleman. After conceding a penalty early on in the game, the hosts chased the equalizer for the entire game but failed to score, even though they created a few chances. Persija Jakarta operated in a 4-3-3 formation. They played the patience game, looking for an opening in PSS Sleman’s defence but not quite finding it that often. 17-year-old Dony Pamungkas came close to scoring in the first half but could not hit the target. In the second half, Persija Jakarta also only created a few small chances before conceding the 0-2 in the 82nd minute.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Dony Pamungkas
- Nationality: Indonesian
- Age: 17
- Date of birth: 11/01/2005
- Club: Persija Jakarta
- Career: Bina Taruna, Persija Jakarta (Y)
- Position: Attacking Midfield
- Secondary position: Right Wing & Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Left
Dony Pamungkas is the youngest player that has ever played in the Indonesian league. He played as a left-winger for Persija Jakarta and had a few scoring opportunities, but he never got close to scoring. The attacker liked to provide width for Persija Jakarta in possession, while also dropping deep to the halfway line. By doing this, Pamungkas created space for left central midfielder Fatari to run into because Pamungkas drew the opponent’s right back out of position as he followed the Indonesian youngster. The 17-year-old has good acceleration and bursts of speed. He made a few good runs in behind and was capable of maintaining his speed over longer distances. In one of those situations he got into scoring position but he failed to hit the ball cleanly under pressure.
Dony Pamungkas liked to pass and immediately make a run, using his good acceleration to get away from his marker. However, when dribbling Dony Pamungkas often failed to keep the ball close to him and he took a heavy touch sometimes when carrying the ball forward. The Indonesian showed quick decision-making under pressure when he played some good one-touch football with left-back Rangga Widiansyah. I think Pamungkas should get into a 1v1 situation with the full-back more often, especially since he showed that he has a good crossing technique with his left foot. He could definitely exploit this more often when playing on the left-wing. Pamungkas also seemed capable of using his right foot. Generally, Pamungkas looked good technically. He had good receiving skills and his short passing was good and consistent.
The winger showed good determination throughout the match. He tracked back well when PSS Sleman had a counter-attack. Standing at 177cm with a toned build, the winger has a good body type for a winger. He was capable of turning quickly and sometimes used this to get away from his marker. Pamungkas, when dribbling, often did not change directions so this could be an indication that he can not change directions quickly when sprinting, but I will have to watch him more often to determine that.
Rating – A2
I think Dony Tri Pamungkas showed some potential, especially with his quick decision-making and technical ability. I need to watch more of him to get a better grip of his full ability. He will definitely become an international for Indonesia and I can see him playing for good sides in the K-League or J-League.
Rangga Widiansyah
- Nationality: Indonesian
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 24/04/2002
- Club: Persija Jakarta
- Career: Persija Jakarta
- Position: Left-Back
- Preferred foot: Left
Rangga Widiansyah made his 9th appearance for Persija Jakarta against PSS Sleman. The left-back showed promising signs going forward but was less effective defensively. In the opening minutes of the game, Widiansyah showed signs of vulnerability when trying to cut passing lanes and further into the game this happened more often. He also did not quite track his opponent in the box when dealing with crosses, allowing his opponent a lot of space. In this situation, he should have scanned more often and been more aware of his surroundings. In the defensive 1v1 duels, Widiansyah showed good aggressiveness and willingness to win duels and to commit in the duels. This helped him to win duels as he is not the biggest with his 1,66m. However, Widiansyah won most of the aerial duels because he positioned himself well.
Going forward, Widiansyah showed a lot of promising signs even though he does not have the biggest frame. His low centre of gravity allowed him to change directions quickly and his agility was also good. Widiansyah showed good receiving skills throughout the game, controlling the ball well under pressure. The Indonesian also showed quick decision-making under pressure, especially when he showed good one-touch play with Pamungkas in the small spaces. Widiansyah had good close control when dribbling and managed to get past his opponents with ease. The youngster has a good crossing technique and always got the ball into good areas. The 19-year-old has good vision and composure in the final third and posed a real threat to the Sleman defence.
Near the end of the first half, he should have created a big chance for Rafli Mursalim, but the striker, unfortunately, did not control the ball well enough to get a shot off. Rangga Widiansyah has good athletic ability and possesses good stamina.
Rating – A2
I think Rangga Widiansyah is a promising winger and don’t think he should focus on the left-back position. However, he could become a good left-back for Persija Jakarta and I think he could get many assists for the Indonesians. If he focuses on the left-wing position, I think he could maybe play in the K-League or J-League in the future.
Ilham Rio Fahmi
- Nationality: Indonesian
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 06/10/2001
- Club: Persija Jakarta
- Career: Persibara, Persija Jakarta
- Position: Right-Back
- Secondary position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Rio Fahmi played as a right-back for Persija Jakarta in the match against PSS Sleman. Defensively, Rio Fahmi looked good even though there are some red flags. He tracks his opponent aggressively when he receives the ball and keeps following him until he releases the ball. This is sometimes not a good idea because of two reasons. Firstly, he gets dragged out of position easily. Secondly, he is susceptible to quick turns of his opponent as Rio Fahmi is still moving in the opposite direction and can’t turn as quickly as his opponent because he first needs to slow down in order to turn. Rio Fahmi did show good defensive skills in the 1v1 duels though. He had some strong interceptions in the 1v1 duels and came out on top in most duels.
Standing at 1,70m with a toned build, you would expect that Rio Fahmi loses most physical duels but thanks to his good upper body strength he managed to win most duels against a physically stronger opponent. Rio Fahmi is quick on the first meters and showed that he is a strong tackler, which helped him to recover possession even when he seemed to be in a hopeless position. On the ball, I think Rio Fahmi showed mixed signs. When in possession on the opposition half, possibly getting into an attacking 1v1 duel, he looked reluctant to get forward and often opted to play a pass backwards. Other situations showed that he should not be reluctant in those duels, as he looked really quick and seemed to have good dribbling ability at full speed after making a good underlapping run.
He also seemed comfortable carrying the ball inside and passing with both feet. In the final third, he put in a few crosses but did not have the best crossing technique and failed to get the ball into good areas. Rio Fahmi seemed to be a good athlete and has good stamina.
Rating – A2
I think he made a decent impression in the match against PSS Sleman. He has some good characteristics for a right-back, but needs to work on his defensive decision-making and vision. It would also help a lot if his crossing became better. If he can do that, I think he could become a strong player in this league.