Tuija Hyyrynen is already looking forward to the opening match of the European Championships.
The Helmari European Championship team has just been published in the office of the Sports Museum.
Head coach Anna Signeulin The list of 23 players did not come as a big surprise. AIK striker Kaisa Collin will travel with the team to England as a reserve, but a companion Jenny Danielsson got into the actual team.
The border has to be drawn somewhere and it is never an easy task.
– This has been a really difficult process. The entire coaching team has been involved in this, and it started as early as the race venue was confirmed, Signeul began his defensive speech.
– Tough decisions affect the careers and lives of the players, but we have chosen the team that we believe will best ensure Finland’s success in the European Championships.
The evidence of the Falun coach is so convincing that there will be no major public debate, for example, about the next generation of Helmarit. Eva Nyström and Vilma Koiviston dripping.
– Of course, being outside the competition group is a tough thing, but it is part of the top sport. However, I want to thank all the players who made it to the qualifiers.
Success story
Helmars has traditionally been considered the more successful national football team.
It is still true that Finnish women are much higher in the Fifa rankings (28th) than Huuhkaja (57th), but the same similar success expectations cannot be expected from the Signeul team as before.
Laura Österberg Kalmarin the team he starred always advanced to the European Championship semi-finals in 2005. The striker was involved in his own home races four years later, ending in a semi-final loss to England.
The last time Helmarit played in the European Championship finals in Sweden in 2013 would have been enough to win the last game of the first round against Denmark.
The story continues after the picture.
Hyyrynen was already on his way to the Swedish Championships, which took place eight years ago. Jussi Eskola
Finland remained in the 1–1 draw and last in their block with two points.
– Of course it annoyed. However, we can take a lot of stuff with us from that tournament. We have several players on the team who were already involved at the time. We can bring that experience because we know everything about the European Championships, sitting next to Signeul Tuija Hyyrynen said.
– However, it also has media and pressure tolerance outside the field.
“Big credit”
Finland will be the underdog for the English European Championships. Calculating in advance, even grabbing two draws from Spain, Denmark and Germany seems like an oversized goal.
– I believe in the next place. We don’t go to races to play and try. I have a big credit for this team, and that’s how it should be, Hyyrynen assured Iltalehti.
– Without it, it is not possible to make a profit.
In February, Finland played a high-profile tournament in France, which gave a dull picture of the difference in level to the top of the world. Helmarit could not score in three matches.
It’s not necessarily that the team is in decline. The popularity of women’s football has exploded in recent years and has now been taken more seriously by many football powers that have been downplayed in the past.
At the same time, Finland’s resources have not grown in the same proportion.
Now self-confidence should be built with practice matches against Japan (June 27) and the Netherlands (July 2).
– Japan and the Netherlands are really tough teams as well as opponents in the competition. The defense must be in good stead, but at the same time we need to know what we want in the offensive game, Hyyrynen, who again won the Serie A championship in the ranks of Juventus, continued.
– We must also have the keys to our own ball game. It is also a requirement at the European Championships if we want to get a result.
Ball out of the stars
In the ranks of Oranje, Fifa was chosen as the best runner in the world in 2017 Lieke Martens. At least in the European Championships, the level will not fall, because immediately in the opening match Hyyrynen will be able to defend the latest winner of the Golden Ball, the Spanish Alexia Putellasiaagainst.
– That’s great. It allows you to measure your own and your team’s boundaries. Those players are absolutely top figures in the world. They are incredibly good. I can party then when I deprive them of the ball, the HJK breeder smiled.
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Alexia Putellas is currently the best female runner in the world. AOP
Hyyrynen lamented that the team was not able to win a single time from the previous European Championship tournament in Finland.
This time the bar has been raised even higher.
– Opening opponent Spain feels the toughest at the moment. In that case, the victory should be taken from either Denmark or Germany, but they are also really difficult opponents.
– The block is interesting because it can go a bit in any direction. Teams can play crosswise and lose points.
Hyyrynen said that he has already started training in small groups for the European Championships. The helmsmen will gather for the first training camp as early as Midsummer week.
– For me, it’s been a while since the previous game. In the spring, there may not have been as many minutes on the club team, even though I played 26 matches throughout the season. We only had so many games that we sometimes had to sit on a bench, the Finnish defender, who was involved in the Champions League, also explained.
– I feel like I’m in good shape.
Signeul promised the same.
– We will definitely be completely ready at the beginning of the tournament.