Is the way the Young Lions play wrong? Pekka Virta tells

Finland played four games in the opening series of the under-20 World Cup tournament. The result was two losses and two wins.

In the last game of the opening series, Finland was badly in the receiving lane against the United States and lost 2–6.

– Goalkeeper (Aku Koskenvuo) was great in the beginning and kept us going. There was no doubt about the winner in that game, Iltalehti’s ice hockey expert Pekka Virta cheers

The game was fireworks for the Yankees. In his analysis, Virta returns to the matter of playing style, which the top coach already talked about at the start of the tournament.

– All that talk about the way of playing and how it was supposed to be the strength of this team dried up after the Switzerland game. The gameplay was streamlined, changed after the first defeat. In the USA game, Finland started to play like an opponent, but the USA is better in that way of playing, Virta states.

An experienced puck man reminds us of a simple matter.

– If the little one wants to beat the big one, you can’t play with the rules and style of the bigger and stronger one. You have to be smarter and come up with something, or you’ll get a cold.

And on New Year’s Eve, a cold came.

Not the wrong way

Finland’s head coach Tomi Lämsa is a man seasoned in the KHL and SM league. Finland’s coaching staff spoke quite ambitiously before the tournament.

– That the way of playing, for example, blocks 50 percent of the opponent’s attacks. The coach’s thoughts often go a long way and take time to make the team, Virta says.

– In the end, it’s a players’ game and good players win – although never without cooperation and helpful tactics.

Players must be able to complete the given gameplay, whatever it is. Now Finland has already changed the way they play once.

Did the Young Lions go to the games with the wrong way of playing?

– I can’t say that it’s wrong. I don’t announce it. But the kind of game that the coaching team talked about before the games has not been used. It was straightened right at the beginning when there was no result. It worked for two games, but it didn’t work against the stronger USA.

– It is always easy to criticize a losing style of play. I have been a target in that, the Turku resident reminds.

Given by the league

After the USA loss, and actually a lot before that, many people were thinking about the playing style of the home League. Many teams in the League, and many of the players on this team as well, play trap, defensive wins and slow hockey.

Players are then not able to press a button to change the way they play in fast-paced international tournaments, when the fighting demand is high.

– Blaming the entire League at this point is going a bit far. In the league, the puck is played quite differently depending on the team. For example, Lukko tries to attack a lot, Virta reminds.

He also states that the opponent in the USA game was also really good.

– Finland has been on a trip there for quite a long time. They had a camp and practice games, and four games have already been played in the games. Yes, the team should know how to play. The tactics of the day should be safe for all players.

– The package needs to be put together again and agreed on which are the 3-4 basic things in the way of playing, what to do in the rink, Virta thinks.

Individuals or a team?

The main age group for this year’s Junior World Championships is players born in 2003. There are some amazing individuals in the Games, like Canada Connor Bedard or the USA Logan Cooley.

Are the jock races won more by individuals than by team play?

– For example, Finland has always talked about role-playing the team. In this way, there has not even been an attempt to build the team based on the best individuals.

– Individuals always decide. But Finland is the best in the world when it comes to tournament play. If we look at the men’s tournaments in recent years, we have a strong belief in our own style of play and are able to develop our game during the games.

– It is more difficult for young players to adopt tactics. Young people have their own goals at this stage much more than anyone else Marko Anttila.