Technical Breakdown: How Kluivert’s ‘Double Pivot’ Strategy Doomed Indonesia in the Dramatic 2-3 Loss to Saudi Arabia

Miliano Jonathans

The Indonesian National Team started their journey in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers with a very disappointing result. Despite taking an early lead, the Garuda Squad had to concede a narrow 2-3 defeat against host Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.

On the surface, the 2-3 score suggests a tough fight. However, a deep technical and tactical analysis indicates that this loss wasn't merely a matter of individual performance or bad luck. It was a systematic failure rooted in one key area: the midfield, and a crucial tactical decision by Coach Patrick Kluivert.

• Penalty Goals and the Real Level Gap

The most striking fact from this match is how Indonesia scored. Both Garuda Squad goals were scored by Kevin Diks (11th and 88th minutes) from penalty kicks.

This total reliance on set pieces and incidents is a blaring alarm. It confirms that Kluivert’s offensive strategy completely failed to generate goals from open play against a well-organized Asian elite team. Goals only coming from penalties are a primary indicator of a significant technical and tactical gap.

• The Main Diagnosis: A Crucial Midfield Error

Senior football pundit Mohamad Kusnaeni decisively pointed to the failure in the selection of the double pivot as the fundamental tactical mistake.

Kluivert opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, pairing Joey Pelupessy and Marc Klok as the defensive midfielders. This strategy, which was meant to be a shield against Saudi Arabia’s aggression, ironically became the most fatal weakness.

Tactical Critique: The Pelupessy-Klok pivot was judged as “too often losing duels and lacking cohesion.”

 The ineffectiveness of this double pivot directly allowed Saudi Arabia to “control the center of the park and dominate the game” completely, especially in the first half. When you lose the midfield battle, you lose control over the tempo, direction of attack, and crucially, vital protection for the back four.

• Structural Issues: The Deadly Inter-Line Spacing

The midfield failure was compounded by a structural problem even admitted by Coach Kluivert himself, who stated he was dissatisfied with the players’ positioning, noting that the “distance between the lines was too wide open.”

Firas Al-Buraikan

An excessively wide gap between the defense, midfield, and attack is disastrous at the international level.

• The Impact: This open space granted Saudi Arabian players valuable time and space to pass, move, and shoot without pressure.
• A Fatal Example: Saudi Arabia’s equalizer in the 17th minute by Saleh Abu Alshamat with a precise shot from outside the box is a direct example of how the failure to maintain vertical compactness exposed deadly gaps in the defense.

This spacing issue contradicted the purpose of the 4-2-3-1 formation, which should maintain compactness. The open spaces were continuously exploited, culminating in Feras Albrikan’s third goal in the 62nd minute, which came from a rebound that the defense failed to anticipate due to poor secondary defensive awareness.

• Critiquing the Late Tactical Response

This loss also brings intense scrutiny to Kluivert’s in-game management. Indonesia was down 2-1 at halftime, yet the changes and tactical responses at the start of the second half were deemed too slow or ineffective to address the midfield dominance established in the first half.

• The Key Moment: Saudi Arabia’s third goal occurred 17 minutes after the break (62nd minute). Had tactical corrections—such as replacing one of the criticized pivots or adjusting the structural spacing—been made faster and more decisively, the uncatchable 3-1 margin might have been prevented.

This delay in management, coupled with questions about why key players like Thom Haye were only substitutes, reinforces doubts about Kluivert's adaptability against elite-level teams.

• Critical Implications and Lessons for the Future

The 2-3 loss to Saudi Arabia, unfortunately followed by a 0-1 defeat to Iraq, has essentially confirmed Indonesia's failure to advance to the FIFA World Cup 2026 after finishing bottom of Group B.

Despite being strengthened by quality diaspora players, this defeat is a major lesson: World Cup Qualifiers demand tactical depth and structural discipline. The core weaknesses in the midfield and spacing exposed in this loss hindered the team's progress to the highest level of the Asian Zone.