Many football fans may have had a drink down the wrong throat when studying the lineups for the English League Cup final played on Sunday. 19 years old Jimi Tauriainen was on the bench for the Chelsea representative team against Liverpool for the first time.
The appointment was also a surprise in England, as Tauriainen’s name was initially written as “Tavriainen” in Sky Sports’ line-up graphics.
As expected, Tauriainen missed playing time, but getting into the lineup for Wembley was undoubtedly a sign of appreciation for the head coach From Mauricio Pochettino.
The Kirkkonummi FC Wild and HJK graduate transferred to the Chelsea organization on his 17th birthday in the summer of 2020. Injuries have disrupted his career. This season, he has played six matches in the youth Premier League.
Erkka V. Lehtola coached Tauriai in the under-17 national team. The 188-centimeter Tauriainen is comfortable in the midfield in different roles, in Chelsea mainly in the center of the midfield.
– It always means something if you are the best player on the field, for example against Poland. He was really tough in the first games. He has speed, audacity and skill, as well as a desire to solve, Lehtola recalls Tauriainen’s first international matches for young people.
Tauriainen’s age group suffered the worst from the corona pandemic. The qualifiers for the under-17s were canceled completely, and Tauriainen doesn’t have very many youth matches on his account, partly also due to injuries. He has not yet played in the under-21 national team.
Tauriainen comes from a real football family, as his father Pass had a long career on domestic courts and in the A national team. Uncles Elastic and Sprout are also familiar to the followers of domestic football. Two years older brother Julius was at Freiburg Academy for many years and now represents FC Lahti.
– I know their bloodline. I once asked Jim that you probably exchange a lot of ideas about games on car trips. Jimi said yes, I’ve never played such a good match that the faija will find something weak! He immediately added that it’s fine, it doesn’t go to your head, says Lehtola.
Lehtola says that when he heard about the Chelsea transfer, he thought that Jimi Tauriainen has such character and qualities that he will not be the first to return home. Time will tell if Tauriainen’s talents will one day carry him to the field in Chelsea’s representative team. Liverpool, who pointed to the amount of injuries, showed in the final that young people can be trusted even at the highest level.
– It would be strange if just anyone would be benched for the league cup final. I want to believe that it has some meaning, why exactly Jimi has gotten there. Hopefully they have plans for him, says Lehtola.
2).
There are more than three weeks until the Huahkajie EC further qualification. The head coach Markku Kanerva must be pleased that several key players have reached top form in their club teams.
Lukas Hradecky Leverkusen has already jumped to an eight-point lead over Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. At the weekend, Mainz fell 2–1 at home.
Apart from Hradecky, the only Finns playing in Europe’s top five leagues are Augsburg Fredrik Jensen as well as Toulouse in a few minutes Naatan Skyttbut next season the number may be higher. Joel Pohjanpalon Venezia has risen to the second place in the Italian Serie B, qualifying for direct promotion.
Over the weekend, Pohjanpalo extended their scoring streak to four matches in an away win against Pisa. The Finn leads the league in goals with 14 hits.
The loudest parties of the weekend were seen in the battle for the top of the English championship between Leeds and Leicester. Glen Kamaran At the end of the match, Leeds took a 3–1 lead and narrowed Leicester’s league lead to six points. Leeds is therefore caught in direct promotion to the Premier League.
If Leeds is closely followed in Finland because of Kamara, the follow-up is even tighter in the next qualifying opponent, Wales. No less than four Welsh players, Connor Roberts, Daniel James, Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu representing Leeds. The first two were scored against Leicester.
3) Oliver Antman returned to the field
There are more than three weeks until the Huahkajie EC further qualification. Head coach Markku Kanerva must be happy that he scored important goals in the qualifiers Oliver Antman has returned to playing condition.
Antman, representing Nordsjaelland, played half an hour in the Danish league match against FC Copenhagen over the weekend. He had time to spend a couple of minutes on the field already in the previous match against Lyngby. In September, Antman suffered an adductor muscle injury in the EC qualifying match against Denmark and has been sidelined ever since.
– The beginning has been good. I miss everyday life. Of course, I have to prove my worth again and again, but I feel ready for it. Expectations for the team are high for spring, Antman said of Nordsjaelland on the website.
Nordsjaelland’s championship dreams are thin and they too suffered a blow in the 0-3 loss to FC Copenhagen. The difference to Bröndby at the top of the league is already ten points. On the other hand, the chances of success in the Danish Cup are good, as the team will meet AGF Århus in the semi-finals at the turn of March-April. The biggest clubs are already out of the tournament.
– I believe that we can go all the way in the Cup, Antman said.
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