Finland will face Slovakia in the World Cup qualifiers in the evening.
Finland is practically forced to win Slovakia in the evening. AOP
The corona pandemic has badly shaken the football calendar.
One of the victims can be seen now as Helmarit prepares for a vital World Cup qualifier against Slovakia. The surprise defeat for Ireland in October left Finland’s dream of closing the gap.
There is simply no room for point losses on Friday.
– This is indeed a compulsion for us if we want to be in the World Cup. The team is in a good mood. Everyone is really focused on the upcoming match and their own roles in it, head coach Anna Signeul your line.
– We know how important this game is.
Two goals
However, Korona confuses Signeul’s goals. Helmarit has already made it to the upcoming European Championship finals, and Signeul also needs to think about how to get the most out of next summer’s tournament.
The European Championships were originally scheduled to take place a year ago, but the pandemic moved the event forward by 12 months.
Now Helmarit is playing as if in two goals: for both the European Championship and the World Cup dream.
– We must play fast against Slovakia and be resolute in our decisions. There will be a lot of runs with and without the ball and substitutions.
– Running force is also a decisive factor in the European Championships and usually against better teams.
Will Signeul continue?
Signeul has been criticized for not seeming to think about the inevitable generational change of the Helmars at all. Officially, the head coach’s contract expires at the end of this year, so it’s natural that he wants to maximize team performance right now.
The story continues after the picture.
Anna Signeul’s contract ends in the summer’s European Championship finals. AOP
Admittedly, when asked, Signeul did not want to comment a word on his own future. He indicated that he might be interested in continuing in his post.
– I was not prepared for this question. I certainly can’t answer that.
Finland took a 2–1 home win from Slovakia in the opening match of the World Cup qualifiers in Turku.
– We played the opening season well then. But they got a tie, and the match became stressful for us, Adelina Egman said.
It was Engman who took the hostesses to the lead by shooting the ball angrily into the front corner Emmi Alasen after passage.
– Slovakia is a good team and it squeezes really aggressively. I can guarantee there will be a difficult match in the offing, the Hammarby striker continued.
“We respect Slovakia”
The level of women’s national team football has risen tremendously in recent years. At the same time, Finland’s grip on the very sharpest point of the species has faded.
Slovakia now poses a very different level of challenge than it did ten years ago.
– Of course we have great respect for Slovakia. It’s hard to score against the team, and we have to be careful with their change of direction game, Signeul said.
– It is important that Finland stays close on the ground so that we can stop their attack.
In February, Finland played practice matches against France, the Netherlands and Brazil. The only goal was to somehow keep up with the opponent.
In Trnava on Friday, that is no longer enough. The helmsmen should control the match, and show the level difference on the scoreboard as well.
– We have been incredibly good at adapting to changing situations. And we evolve through these tough games.
– And now we are only focusing on the Slovakia match, the head coach decided.
Adelina Engman anticipates a difficult match. Juha Tamminen / AOP
The World Cup qualifiers between Slovakia and Finland can be watched on TV2 and Yle Areena from 21.50.