Played as a professional soccer player in Italy Mehmet Hetemaj considers Venezia’s promotion back to Serie A a very significant achievement.
He brings out the coolness of the team. Joel Pohjanpalon and Jesse Joronen represented by Venetsia fell to third place in the final round of the regular season and lost a sure promotion to the main league. However, the playoffs were a convincing showing.
– You could have imagined that it would weigh on their heads, but these playoffs went very well. I watched both the matches against Palermo and Cremonese. Venice played very convincingly, Mehmet Hetemaj tells Urheilu.
According to Hetemaj, the rise also means a lot to the city and the fans. Also for the club, the promotion may have had a greater meaning.
– I don’t know how these rumors were true, but according to the rumors, the American owners were loosening the amount of money in the club if promotion to the main league had not happened.
A significant achievement for Pohjanpalo
Finnish goalkeeper Jesse Joronen was one of the heroes of the two-part qualifying final, as he kept a clean sheet in both matches. Pohjanpalo did not succeed in the qualifying finals, but he reached Serie B’s goalscoring record with 22 hits.
Hetemaj, who has played 122 matches in Serie B in his career, raises Pohjanpalo’s goalscoring record to a very high value. He reminds that in his time in Italy the most talked about goal scorers.
– Playing as a forward in Italy is the most difficult place to play, regardless of league level. There is less space and the defenders know how to use all means to make the attacker’s situation as bad as possible.
– A truly remarkable and respectable achievement. All you can do is raise your hat and congratulate. He must be very proud of his own achievements.
Big difference between series
Although many Italian teams have been able to rise to Serie A, it has been very difficult to stay in the main league. A good example is this season’s upstart Frosione, who romped in the early season in a good tailwind and seemed to keep his place easily. However, the rest of the season was difficult, and the team was relegated back to Serie B.
Venetia was also promoted to the main league for the 2021–22 season, but was immediately relegated to Serie B. According to Hetemaj, up-and-coming teams often stay in the main league for one season or at most two seasons.
– The difference between the series is really big. Venice needs to succeed in its acquisitions and get good players with major league experience.
For example, Pohjanpalo must also succeed very well from their positions, because there are much fewer chances in the main series than in Serie B. Accordingly, goalkeeper Jorose has more work ahead of him than this season.
However, Hetemaj emphasizes that next to Pohjanpalo, another high-quality attacker must be found, who is also able to feed the Finn inside the penalty area. In addition, Venice needs opening players for each line.
– If Venetsia can acquire three to four opening players and they are really reinforcements, Venetsia has every chance to survive.
Pohjanpalo needs a playmaker
With a quality player next to him, Pohjanpalo has the potential to score even more than ten goals in Serie A, according to Hetemaj.
However, a lot depends on how the team manages to create chances for Pohjanpalo, whose strengths are not in making plays. Hetemaj reminds that Pohjanpalo’s strengths are in concentration and hard balls, where he can run quickly between the defenders and the goalkeeper.
– He is very clever at moving in the box, which is perhaps what I like most about his game. Quite a lot of attackers make the first move inside the penalty area, but “Jolle” is ready to make three to four moves, as long as he allows himself a little space, Hetemaj says.
– With these qualities, he can score goals in any league, but he needs players around him who can serve him balls.
It should be kept
Even more important than these is the coach Paolo Vanolini situation. According to media reports, the 51-year-old Vanoli has attracted interest from, for example, Serie A club Torino.
– It’s the very first thing that they have to hold on to Paolo Vanoli tooth and nail. He has accomplished this change.
When Vanoli arrived at the club a year and a half ago, Venice was at the bottom of the league. Now the team is really high-quality and self-sacrificing.
– Yesterday in the playoff match “Jollekin” sacrificed himself and defended in the box and so did everyone else. No one is there above others.
– Vanoli also lives a lot on the side of the field. It reminds me of something familiar from Veikkausliiga by Andy Smith vibes Vanoli lives with emotion. He is first on the list regarding the future, Hetemaj describes.