The game introduced by Kari Jalonen will only be traded in the Czech Republic if the team wins. Now there is no trade, writes Jussi Paasi.
Let’s think about what kind of ball the Czech Republic is. Is it a passionate, emotional, full-thrown nation?
And what are the Czech ball teams like? Are they cautious, error-avoiding, and reassuring?
What about team sports individuals? Where do they come from in the Czech ranks? For skill, for making an opponent funny, for spectacular performances. From them they absorb their energy.
Could it be imagined that the Czech national hockey team will be able to play inherent and passive hockey if necessary, with a commitment to a tight, disciplined game plan from which no one can deviate throughout the match?
I can only imagine how difficult it is for the Czech head coach Kari Jalosesta feel. On Tuesday, the match between the Lions and the Czech Republic was – with the exception of a five-minute break – for the Jalonen group a mere via dolorosa.
The Czech Republic had no goals in the opening round. The team’s game seemed so confusing and anemic, even scary, that it really didn’t mean to believe. And when he immediately scored two goals, he was frustrated all the way to the upper arenas of the Tampere arena.
David Pastrnakin, The body language of the star from the NHL said it all. He stood sometimes near the red line as if lost. Didn’t know where to go, what to do. And he was not alone with his feelings.
At the beginning of the second installment, the Czech Republic received a vein draft. It spun the disc at the end of Finland continuously. For a while, the game looked Czech, so to speak. After five minutes of puck charm, the go was cut off.
On the lions side, everything worked again like it was in the toilet of an old-fashioned train. Door open, work done, door closed. Finland’s superiority was mind-boggling. It was not surprising, as the Czech Republic is trying to learn exactly the means on which the success of the Lions rests. Finland has already completed its game skills studies, the Czech Republic has just started.
They are those attributes mentioned above that do not seem to fit into the Slavic mentality. At least not yet. Jukka Jalosen the group forges the result with a template that may be impossible for other countries to copy.
Kari Jalonen is a top coach. There is not the slightest doubt about that. He has proven his ability long ago, both at the club and national team level. But how in the world does Jalonen imagine being able to turn into a Czech team that plays something completely different from the hockey found in their DNA?
The pressure on Jalto has been intense during the World Cup. The local press weighs in, as do the fans. Like Ismo Lehkonen At the World Cup market meeting, Jalonen’s way of playing will only be traded in the Czech Republic if the team wins. Now there is no trade.
Jalonen was appointed head coach of the Czech Republic just a couple of months before the World Cup. His contract runs until spring 2024. Jalonen’s task is to bring the renowned puck back to the top of the international stage.
In a couple of months, even a magician at the level of Jalonen could not work miracles. The long project has only just begun. In the Czech Hockey Association, is patience enough if, under the leadership of the country’s first foreign head coach, there is no result and the way of playing is not pleasant?
Now it looks hard. Really difficult.