New wing players have come rushing to Huuhkaji. Played in six international matches Oliver Antman has completed four goals. In Monday’s San Marino match, he wore the A national team shirt for the second time Daniel Håkans in turn hit a hat trick.
Players like Antman, 21, and Håkans, 22, who are fast, skilled with the ball and capable of scoring goals, have typically been rare in the Finnish national team. Piloted both in the under-21 national team Juha Malinen says that the players already stood out a couple of years ago in the junior national team.
– They were extremely important players in my game template. We wanted to change situations quickly, press hard and attack actively, says Malinen.
Huhkaji’s young wing players are united by international level speed. Malinen says that in Pikkuhuuhkaj, players’ speeds were often measured during game situations.
– We got huge numbers from Antman and Håkans: top speed 35–36 kilometers per hour. If compared to the fastest players in the Premier League, they are Erling Haaland’s level readings.
The fastest player of the Premier League season was from Manchester City Kyle Walkerwhich momentarily reached a speed of 37.31 kilometers per hour. Brennan Johnson, Myh’ailo Mudryk, Anthony Gordon, Darwin NunezHaaland and Dennis Zakaria were currently speeding over 36 kilometers per hour.
According to Malinen, Håkans in particular was noticed in other junior national teams. In the under-21 European Championship qualifying match against Austria last year, the opponent’s initial training caught the Finnish coach’s attention.
– The goalkeeping coach played the ball from the center line to their fast substitute, who got through on his own from the left side. The goalkeeper went through that situation five or six times.
– It was a clear signal that they are preparing for the fact that Håkans will still go through there. It didn’t help. Håkans went to the end in that game as well and was able to finish.
Skilled on the ball and runner
According to Malinen, Antman, born in 2001, was the cornerstone of the national team born in 2000 from the beginning. The winger, who played for FC Nordsjælland in the Danish premier league, was in a pretty good position in his club team two years ago, when Malinen started building the team.
Malinen wanted players in his team who were given responsibility in their club teams. Antman was the only youth national team player who had a responsible role in his own club.
Håkans’ role in SJK was unclear at the time, and he was sometimes played at the bottom of the midfield, for example. However, for Mali, the player was an easy choice for Pikkuhuahkaji.
– He was at our reserve national team’s camp in December. The camp ensured that he is a regular player. It was clear that his explosive, clearly international level speed would take him very far.
There are also differences between Antman and Håkans. Antman has been good with the ball since he was a child and likes to enjoy himself in the pockets between the opponents’ lines. In addition to speed, the strengths of the Korso breeder are strays and transports.
The hard-working Håkans is more of a straight forward runner.
– He has explosive speed, a reasonably good deflection and a deflection-shot combination. Håkans is at his best as a clear winger, even as a wing-back, Malinen estimates.
Urheilu’s football expert Miika Nuutinen according to the speedy platforms bring counter-attacking opportunities to the national team in particular.
– Finland went to the European Championships Teemu Pukin in the lead with quick attacks. When Puki may not have had quite the same flight in the club team as before, these are important tools for the head coach Markku Kanervan to the toolbox.
First technique, then speed
Speed has not been taken for granted by the players.
Both guards were small in juniors and had to learn a lot of ball handling, dribbling and other techniques to keep up with their bigger and faster peers.
– When Daniel joined my team, he was a flower stick, but I immediately saw that he knew how to play. He was skilled and brave as a baller. At that time, we played in the B-junior Championship qualifier, Håkans was coached in Vasa IFK in 2015–2018 Max Peltonen remembers.
– They were tough games for us and Daniel, but such smaller players learn to survive in those situations. They also grow at some point and gain muscles.
According to Peltonen, the 15-16-year-old Håkans was quick to react and read situations, but not as fast as today. It was too early to tell if the player would become a top player.
– At that age, everything depends on your own doing and will. I did notice that there was such a fire in the eyes. He was ready to do the work. That work has to be done and Daniel started it then.
Antman also noticed as an early teenager that he was left at the feet of others.
– When I was smaller, I was always the smallest on the team and usually also the slowest, Antman said in April.
– My physique was completely zero. I then had to be better in other things, technically and tactically.
According to Miika Nuutinen, Antman and Håkans are examples of players whose physical characteristics have only developed at a later age.
– They have quietly developed their skills and had to use different tools as juniors to survive. Then the physical characteristics come and the speed is found. It has accelerated their development.
According to Nuutinen, both have the conditions to play at a tough international level in the future.
– It is behind hard work. You have to have whole seasons and develop all the time. To be in the right place at the right time. Both have very good qualities to rise to the top international level.
Too early to talk about a trend
The Finnish national team has recently seen the debut of several fast, skilled and self-confident players, including Antman and Håkans, for example Benjamin Källman, Lassi Lappalainen, Mikael Soisalo and Ilmari Niskanen.
According to Nuutinen, it is too early to draw conclusions from a few matches and a couple of players that Finland’s player development has taken a leap forward. The time for a generational change is not yet.
– When we go to play against Denmark, for example, I would be surprised if we saw Antman and Håkans on the field at the same time. Finland still needs Lodi and Pukki, these experienced players who can bring a lot to Finland’s attacking play with their own, different skills.