Anna Signeuli’s press conference after the Germany match was the Swedish coach’s last at the helm of Helmarie.
Signeul appeared defiantly in the stands of the Milton Keynes stadiumeven though Finland had lost all its matches in the EC final tournament with a reasonably clear 1–8 goal difference.
– I think we played well once again, even if the result doesn’t say it. We defended in an organized manner and fought throughout the match, Signeul started.
You don’t have to be a great connoisseur of people to draw parallels between Signeul’s game philosophy and his own performance. “Organized defense” and “fight to the end” also marked the attitude of the Falun football coach towards the criticism directed at him.
However, the end result was largely the same as with Helmari.
Ari Lahti, president of the Swedish Football Association, showed Signeuli the door on Monday, even though the team has at least two (possibly four) important World Cup qualifiers before the employment contract expires at the end of December.
Lahti is a gentleman, and of course he has no reason to give reasons for ending his work obligation early. The information about the sackings of the Finnish Football Association was also wrapped in trinkets.
– Signeul brought the level of requirements required for top football to the national team. We thank Anna for the warm, valuable work she does, Lahti wrote in it.
– The Balloliitto felt that it is a good moment to prepare for the future and set a new direction. We wish Anna all the best in the future.
It is clear that the roundabout expression was a deliberate choice. Perhaps no one wants to confuse the dirtbag any more.
Signeul himself had no problem speaking the altered truth. But at the same time, he created a credibility problem for himself.
– The players on the field did very well, the coach said after the 0-3 defeat that finished last.
However, the most blatant blurring was when the coach was asked how the media frenzy around him has affected the team.
– I haven’t actually read any newspaper articles. So I don’t know anything about them.
The story continues after the picture.
The offensive game of the Helmarii led by Signeul was disappointing in the European Championship. JOSÉ BRETÓN
Just before that, several former employees had described in public how the totalitarian control over the language used (English) and working hours (almost unlimited) prevailed within Helmarie. In the EC tournament, the players did not dare to start their answers (in Finnish) until the head coach had secured the interpretation headphones.
Signeul is fully aware of the conversation going on around him. The hedgehog defense used at the latest press conferences proves it.
Iltalehti reached out to Lahti to clarify his comments on Tuesday afternoon. He admitted that the uproar that characterized the EC tournament was a significant factor behind the decision to leave.
– This was an overall consideration, where the game-related issues were the most important. Of course, we thought about the future, and we thought about how the next World Cup qualifiers could be managed.
– At that point, both Anna and we stated that the commotion has an effect on them. We wanted to calm the situation and make the best possible preparation, Lahti explained the process.
Finland’s defeats in the EC tournament all came to teams clearly better than Helmari. Dropping from the continuation after the first group was not a surprise to anyone who followed the power relations of women’s football.
– In three matches we got one corner kick. It was clear that the game could not be developed. That performance wasn’t satisfactory eitherLahti underlined.
The story continues after the picture.
Ari Lahti (right) has agreed on Helmarie’s coaching responsibility until the end of this year. JUSSI ESKOLA
Signeul’s season will go down in history as a return to glory in the game, but at the end of it there was also a period of stagnation on the field. The Swedish Football Association is known to be looking for the next head coach from abroad, because the umbrella organization does not fully trust domestic options.
Under-17 girls’ head coach Marko Saloranta will lead the team in the two World Cup qualifiers in September. If Saloranta succeeds in lifting Finland to the second place in the group, and also captures the historic final tournament place in the October-November relegation, Lahti will surely give him a continuation paper.
However, Helmarie’s offensive game was so poor in the European Championshipsthat it is difficult to see how it could grab a forced win in Dublin or destabilize Sweden in Ratina.
– Yes, the attacking game needs to be improved. But we have to understand where we are in the rankings, Signeul admitted at Stadium MK.
Helmarit’s World Cup qualifying system may continue until next year, even if Saloranta’s Helmarit succeeds both in September’s doubles match and in UEFA’s further qualification.
The fate of Europe’s last final tournament candidate will only be decided in the ten-team mini-tournament in February 2023.
– We have not agreed on that with Saloranta. We have only watched the playoffs with him, Lahti confirmed.
– But if he succeeds in them, it may very well be that we look at the situation again.