Gratitude. That word is repeated Jimi Tauriainen in the speech, when he tells about the events of the last weeks in England over the phone.
The 19-year-old Finnish football promise has broken through to Chelsea’s representative team and made his debut on the field.
For the first time he was in the composition of the Chelsea representative team at the legendary Wembley Stadium in the League Cup final against Liverpool the other week. It was already a great experience for Tauriain in front of 90,000 spectators.
The actual debut came last week in the FA Cup match against Leeds. He got to play a few minutes at the end of the match.
– It came quite quickly. I was itching to maybe get on the field. We took the lead 3–2. It was quickly shown to go to the field. They said to take it easy and do your own work, Jimi Tauriainen describes.
– Then I had to run onto the field and immediately I gave tackles. I gave everything I could. That was a great moment for me and my family.
He says he is very grateful.
– I can thank my family and my girlfriend. They have supported me and kept me calm. I’ve had a lot of adversity in recent years, but I’ve been able to turn them into wins, Tauriainen describes.
Just a little chat with Pocchettino
For Tauriainen, joining Chelsea’s representative team is a great step. You can already see it from the statistics from the first season in the London club in the under-18 team.
Tauriainen is only one of the six who has been able to play in the representative team so far.
Jim’s father Pasi Tauriainen told Urheilu last week that Chelsea’s academy director and board member Jim Fraser had called him. Fraser had been in awe of the debut of the Finnish promise.
Jimi Tauriainen himself says that he also received a lot of congratulations. At the same time, father and son are aware that a few minutes on the pitch in the FA Cup is not the end of a career.
Now Jimi Tauriainen wants to join the national team full-time. So far, the position has varied between the under-21s and the men’s team.
An Argentinian is currently the manager of Chelsea’s representative team Mauricio Pocchettino.
Tauriainen makes a behind-the-scenes revelation when he says that he hasn’t talked to Pocchettino about continuing in the national team. According to the Finn, the discussions with the Manager have been “normal”, mainly about life outside of football.
– It doesn’t help to talk with the coach, Can I get to the field or Can I get to the men’s training sessions. It must always be shown itself. If you show in training who you are and how good you are, then you usually get on the field. That has been my thing, Tauriainen says.
The best part of the Finnish promise has been to see how the top players work. For example, Tauriainen lifts the Brazilian defender Thiago Silva. The 39-year-old champion has won the French championship seven times and the Italian championship once in his career, as well as the Champions League, the toughest competition in club football.
– He is quite a calm player. I’ve been watching what he does before games. He takes care of his body and always knows what he’s doing, Tauriainen says.
On the other hand, the Finn also enthusiastically says how he has not come to admire anyone.
There is a lot to learn about injuries
Jimi Tauriainen’s journey has not been straightforward at all. Father-in-law told earlier how Jim had three corona infections in one winter, the second one he broke his arm and the third one he broke his knee. Jimi Tauriainen adds that he had two hamstring injuries last season.
He has tried to react positively to adversity.
– If there were no injuries, I probably wouldn’t be at this point. Injuries have taught me a lot about how to eat and how to take care of the body after training, and what to do after training in general. Does he go out every weekend or do restorative things, Tauriainen describes.
The beginning was already difficult when Tauriainen moved to Chelsea in the first corona pandemic summer of 2020. When he moved to England, the Finn lived alone in a hotel for the first three months.
– For the first two months, you weren’t even allowed to train properly. There were only individual training sessions. After all, that first year at the age of 16 was a tough place. It had bad moments. However, it grew spiritually. I just had to get through. I promised myself that I would not come back to Finland. I do what I want to do, says Tauriainen.
Tauriainen comes from quite a football family. His Julius-his older brother was at the Freiburg Academy in Germany and now plays in the Veikkausliiga for FC Lahti.
Pasi’s father played for a long time in the national team and at the main league level in Finland. Uncles too Sprout and Elastic are familiar names to followers of domestic football.
In addition to his girlfriend, he praises his football family a lot.
– If it wasn’t for the support of my family and girlfriend, I wouldn’t be here now. I have learned from them. They have always said things directly and have not been kind. Dad always speaks directly. There is always something to improve. I’m really grateful for that. Family support is really important. I will be grateful to them for the rest of my life, Tauriainen also thanks the support of his close circle.
Tauriainen’s current Chelsea contract is valid until 2026. He emphasizes that the final breakthrough is only up to you. He has received encouraging messages since his debut.
– I’ve been told to keep going and everything will be fine as long as you stay in shape. I believe in it myself, Tauriainen says.