Tonight, the Young Lions will face the big champion favorite USA in the World Cup semi-final in Gothenburg.
More of this today, Finland! The young lions celebrate the goal. PDO
Iltalehti hockey expert, master coach Pekka Virta hit the table with four important points.
1) Big game today, so you have to defend together and you have to defend hungry to win puck away.
2) If you don’t want to double/triple, yes space and time away with foot and bat quickly.
3) If you’re going to tackle, someone has to be caught as well the puck for themselves.
– No Hannu Virta, Kimmo Timonen or some other small and wily defender – or even a bigger top pack – wants to tackle and talk for several seconds against the same player, because then the advantage of the attacker who stays on the puck increases.
– That’s why the cooperation of the five, speed and sharpness also help the individual in defense.
4) Goalkeeper strong speech and smart advice is important because he sees behind the game.
State of will and agreed matters
Pekka Virta emphasizes the importance of fighting victories at both ends of the court, because that’s how you gain control of the puck and the game. PASI LEISMA
Virta illustrates the legality of the defensive game with the help of an example.
– Why does an underpowered crew so often get the puck away from the opponent? Because its defense and willpower are at a standstill. Now this must also be the case in tied games instead of expecting that “someone could defend the puck for me and I get to attack”.
There is no room for this kind of outsourcing of dirty work in the World Cup semi-finals.
– First, everyone defends so damn together – as agreed with five – and then when we get the puck, we can even attack, Virta instructs.
– Or at least the opponent must not attack for a long time, which would enable them to score or at least take away the edge and freshness from our own attacking.
According to Virra, big games are won with strong defense, which enables attacking with the puck and controlling the game. And the order of things is exactly this.
– Big games are also won in such a way that, with the attacking end’s fighting victories, you stay on the puck tenaciously, and with long attacks, you defend your strengths away from the opponent’s attacks.
– When a player understands this logic, the team gains more players’ fight and respect for the struggles of both ends, Virta knows.
– In the end, everyone wants to play on the puck and not just stubbornly defend the center for fear of setbacks.