John Herdman made one decision that has raised questions ahead of the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup.
Shayne Pattynama.
The Persija Jakarta defender was initially not included in the Indonesia national team's 23-man squad announced on 18 September 2026.
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Just two days later however, Shayne received the Garuda Calling call-up.
Persija officially announced this call-up via the club's official Instagram account.
With Shayne added to the squad, the Indonesia national team roster now stands at 24 players.
Persija now also has six representatives in the Garuda squad: Nadeo Argawinata, Rizky Ridho, Jordi Amat, Dony Tri Pamungkas, Rayhan Hannan, and Shayne Pattynama.
This leads to a question:
What is behind Herdman's selection call?
This question stands out because Shayne has not made a single appearance for Persija in the 2026/27 Super League season so far.
Across Persija's first three matches, Shayne was not even named in the matchday squad at all, as he is still recovering from an injury.
His last competitive appearance came for Indonesia against Singapore at the 2026 AFF Cup, back on 7 August.
But there is another factor that makes this call-up even more notable.
When Herdman first named the original 23-man squad, he already had no shortage of defensive options.
This initial list included Kevin Diks, Dean James, Elkan Baggott, Justin Hubner, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Dion Markx, Dony Tri Pamungkas, Rizky Ridho, Yakob Sayuri, and Calvin Verdonk.
Official AFF squad records listed 10 players categorised as defenders in that initial roster.
Then Shayne was added.
This means Herdman chose to bring in yet another option for the backline.
Why?
This very question was one of the main topics discussed on the ITSme podcast.
Recorded live at ITSme Studio in Sentul, Bogor, the podcast featured football analysts Ronny Pangemanan and Kesit Budi Handoyo.
The discussion was hosted by Gilang Respaty and Pudila.
According to Ronny Pangemanan, Shayne's call-up is particularly questionable given that the player has logged zero competitive minutes for his club this season.
Pangemanan also highlighted Arlyansyah Abdulmanan as one Persija player he believes deserved consideration for a national team spot.
Arlyansyah has been receiving regular playing time at Persija.
He has started all three of Persija's opening 2026/27 Super League fixtures, having earned the full trust of his club coaching staff.
Most recently, Arlyansyah scored the only goal of the match to secure a 1-0 Persija victory over Java United on 19 September.
An important clarification must be made here however:
Arlyansyah and Shayne do not play in the same position.
This is not a case of one player being selected over the other.
The real question lies in what reasoning Herdman used when finalising his squad composition.
Is Shayne specifically required for a certain tactical system?
Has there been a change in the fitness status of another defender?
Or does Herdman have a special plan in place for this player who is still working his way back from injury?
As of this time, no official public explanation has been given for this last-minute call-up for Shayne.
There is another equally noteworthy context here too.
Indonesia's squad for this FIFA ASEAN Cup looks very different compared to the side that competed at the 2026 AFF Cup.
Herdman has had far more first-choice players available for selection this time around.
Even the initial 23-man list already included names such as Emil Audero, Maarten Paes, Kevin Diks, Elkan Baggott, Justin Hubner, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Ivar Jenner, Thom Haye, Calvin Verdonk, Ole Romeny and many other established internationals.
Indonesia are indeed missing Jay Idzes due to injury.
Even so, Idzes' absence does not automatically leave Indonesia's defence short of quality.
Indonesia have already played without Idzes previously, and secured a convincing 3-0 win over Oman during an international FIFA Matchday.
Naturally, having Idzes available would have given Herdman even greater depth and options.
But right now, the bigger question is not about who is missing.
Rather, it is this:
How will Herdman actually use all the quality options he has at his disposal?
Indonesia will kick off their FIFA ASEAN Cup campaign against Singapore on 25 September, at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium.
Following that match, Garuda will face Malaysia on 28 September, before closing the group stage against Bangladesh on 1 October.
There is very little time left before we get answers to the Shayne Pattynama puzzle.
Is he only being brought in as extra squad depth?
Will he actually be given game time during the tournament?
Or has Herdman already prepared a specific tactical role for him?
This is exactly why this surprise call-up for Shayne Pattynama remains such a compelling talking point.
Because at the end of the day...
A Garuda Calling call-up is never just about who gets selected.
It is about why that player was chosen...
and exactly what John Herdman intends to do with them.
