Finland starts the volleyball European Championship in hot Bulgaria – absences and a “raw and heavy” match schedule torment Veljeks

The Finnish national volleyball team will start the games in the European Championships on Wednesday against Croatia. Urheilu’s expert Timo Tolvanen reviews five important things that volleyball fans should consider.

The European Volleyball Championship will be played in Italy, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Israel from August 28 to September 16. Finland will be seen in the B group played in Varna, Bulgaria. Urheilu’s volleyball expert Timo Tolvanen go through five important aspects of the Games.

shows all matches in Finland and the most interesting games of the games on TV2 and Areena.

1) Lack of experience in assembly

Due to bad absences, Finland has a quite young and inexperienced group. How can this be reflected in the team’s play?

– Due to his age, the only experienced player is 34 years old Eemi Terportti. Of course, the younger players have experience in tournaments, but now there are many new so-called yellow beaks. In addition to this, the team is plagued by injuries, which is why the central defender department has recently been renewed. Of course, it causes a headache for the head coach To Joel Banks.

In practice matches, Finland played, for example, a wood chipper Samuli Kaislasaloo at the central defender position.

– It tells about the situation. There is a challenge on that lot.

Finland’s most significant absences are the general player Antti Ronkainen absence and a central defender who played in the strong Golden League Severi Savonsalmi. How has the team managed to deal with absences and how does it show in the leadership?

– Terportti has experience in several value competitions, and that leader’s cape will probably come to him that way. The working atmosphere has been positive and everyone is on the same page. The team has been able to handle the absences excellently.

2) The batting competition must be skipped

What are Finland’s strengths in the tournament?

– Finland’s strength is the team’s style of playing volleyball. Finland is neither the strongest nor the longest team at the Games. Finland needs to be able to play a patient game, with which the opponents are tired. There’s no point in going to hitting competitions.

Where are the team’s weaknesses?

– I hope that the team would find the power of the passing game. Especially when the central defense has been renewed, it affects the defensive game. If the feed is soft, it won’t get anything done. The team needs controlled risk-taking.

3) The opening match is critical

What kind of expectations can be set for the Finnish team in group B, where Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Spain and Ukraine also play?

– We should continue. That would require victories over Croatia and Spain. They don’t come easy in any name. Should be able to knock these teams down as well as take some points from Ukraine and Bulgaria. In the first game against Croatia, much will be decided about the success of these games.

Finland’s ranking on the European volleyball map is 11th. What can be concluded from the ranking?

– The ranking corresponds to the expectations set for Finland in the papers when going into the tournament, even though the team’s situation does not give the best starting point.

4) The heat and the match schedule are overwhelming

The European Championship match schedule is tight, which is not helped by the hot weather in Bulgaria. Finland will immediately play three matches on consecutive days, after which there will be one intermission day and two more game days. How does the match schedule and the weather affect the game in Finland?

– This is a really interesting situation. I personally think that the program is quite raw and heavy when five matches are played in six days and the conditions are warm here. Yes, I would have hoped that the second break day would have been somewhere in between.

Finland had arrived in Varna late on Monday evening, so the team’s only practices at the competition venue were organized on Tuesday. What does this mean for preparation?

– There is always a small risk, because the games come at a really close pace. The Finns are usually good in terms of physicality, so they are certainly prepared for a tight pace of play in practice matches. But if the recovery is somehow messed up, then the opponents are given too much of an equalizer.

5) Supporters are a big asset

Have you seen Finnish fans on the streets of Varna?

– Yes, greetings were already heard on that street yesterday, so Finns have already landed in Varna.

According to preliminary information, around 2,000 Finnish supporters will arrive to cheer on the national team. What does it mean for the team?

– It’s a really big plus for Finland to get the atmosphere of a home match in the games. When there are so many supporters, it’s a really big plus. I don’t think other countries have such a group of supporters.