John Herdman Begins Firsthand Evaluation of Domestic League

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian national football team head coach John Herdman began his in-depth evaluation of the country’s domestic league on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, by directly observing club training sessions, using firsthand analysis and dialogue with club coaches as his primary approach to assessing player quality and identifying future national team prospects.

Speaking during a visit to Persija Jakarta’s training session, Herdman said he remains in the early stages of evaluating Indonesia’s top-tier competition, the BRI Super League, including closely monitoring the behavior and habits of national team players within their respective club environments.

“It’s important to take the time to get a deeper assessment of the league and its quality. I came to watch training today to see how the national team players behave and what their habits are during club sessions. I need to see everything,” Herdman said at the Persija Training Ground in Depok on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara.

The English coach expressed his appreciation for Persija’s openness in granting the national team coaching staff access to observe training and engage in discussions with the club’s head coach.

“Persija’s hospitality today was fantastic. The coach opened the door for us to watch training and was very open to feedback,” Herdman said.

He said the approach is crucial for strengthening the relationship between the national team and Indonesian league clubs. He wants players to be fully aware that their performances at club level are continuously monitored by the national team coaching staff.

In addition to Persija, Herdman revealed that he has visited Bali United and maintained communication with Persita’s management. During each visit, he consistently asks club officials and coaches about young players who show genuine potential to break into the national team setup.

“I always ask which young players are showing real potential and may already be knocking on the national team’s door. Local knowledge is very important, and we value the feedback from club coaches and officials,” he continued.

Herdman added that he will continue gathering input from various stakeholders over a certain period before making major decisions regarding the direction of the Indonesian national team. 

“I will listen to as many people as possible for a period of time, and then at the right moment, I’ll be ready to make some big decisions,” the former Canada national team head coach concluded. ***