“The coach always has his own preferences,” Kanerva explained

Joel Pohjanpalo unexpectedly did not make it to the field against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the opening match of the League of Nations last Saturday, although in practice it has been the “hottest” Finnish top spot for a long time. Pohjanpalo, who played on loan in the Turkish league Rizespor, finished 16 league goals, eight of which were born in the last 11 league matches.

Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Jolle” warmly warmed up the last 20 minutes of the match on the sidelines, but at no point did the actual action order take place Markku Kanervalta. 78 minutes into the match, the referee signaled for a foul Marcus Forssin and Benjamin Källman. Bosnia-Herzegovina rose to a 1-1 draw against the Owners with an extra time of 90 + 3 minutes.

– As a player, I’m really disappointed I didn’t play. The coach always has his own preferences and he makes his decisions accordingly. That must always be respected by the player, Pohjanpalo said.

Kanerva responded to Pohjanpalo at a media conference on Monday.

– Substitutions are always made according to the situation, what the situation is and what the game requires. In the last game, substitutions were made where Joel was not on the field. Everyone is always thinking about what is needed at any stage and in what situation. There is no injury to him. He’s in a good stitch, Kanerva explained.

The name of the fire was shouted at the end of the Bosnia-Herzegovina match at the Olympic Stadium. The audience would have liked to see one of their favorite players on the field as early as Saturday. Pohjanpalo thinks it has been amazing to see how Finnish football and especially its fan culture have taken big steps in the international direction in recent years.

– When I started my national team career, the names of almost no players were shouted at the stadium. Now the situation has changed and you will notice it in both games and training. Also in the hotel where we are, people will come to greet and talk to them about these. We are also expected to see results now, and we want to bring them to viewers as well.

The fans will face Montenegro at the Olympic Stadium today, which knocked out Romania’s previous B-League Group 3 home game with a score of 2-0 (0-0).

– Honestly, I don’t know anything about my opponent. The coaching team has made Montenegro a very tight package if the old signs are true. It’s still going through here. Tough is a team when it knocked down Romania with a couple of goals recently. A full working day is ahead to get a full points home, to which he stressed.

Kanerva confirmed that there will be changes in the crew of the Owners because the pace of the game in the League of Nations is exceptionally demanding. By all accounts, Pohjanpalo has a big role to play in the evening. After the Montenegro match, Finland will have away away matches in Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday and next week’s Tuesday.

Pohjanpalo, 27, has missed a full hit in his career, especially in the goals per minute category in every club he represents.

– Goal scoring is what’s expected of me. I kind of built my career on that. I want to be the scorer and the player who decides the matches. I’ve said many times that I’d rather be the worst player on the field as long as I score it. No matter how well I play, but if I don’t score, I’m always very disappointed.

– I have tried in my career to invest in getting to the finish line. Then when that place comes, at least the ball has to go between the trees (paint poles).

There have been a lot of injuries in the career of Pohjanpalo. Still, he hasn’t changed his gameplay or style of play – at least not knowingly.

– I need to look at old games and videos to see if my gaming has changed. The bad thing about it is that as a player I have to say absolutely nothing. Of course, the physical characteristics are now different from what they were when they were young. Experience also brings wisdom and through it is able to react differently to things on the field and especially in the box. Through the ages, it smells better at the finish areas.

– Injuries have been a kind of bad luck. For broken legs when you can’t really do anything. It’s been a long hurry without injuries now, and really only two games were missed last season due to minor injuries. Then, of course, the result will improve. This is true of just about any sport. A lot of work needs to be done in front of physics right now, and not until the thirties.

It still seems that Pohjanpalo will not be able to accommodate Leverkusen’s crew for one reason or another. The next season’s club at the Owl Tip is behind the question marks. What kind of game is Pohjanpalo at its best?

– Everyone probably knows my strength. They can be found inside the box. For me, it’s exactly the same as where the balls come from there – in the middle or from the side – everything goes. However, I live in finish areas. It’s the kind of football I want to play and where my strengths come out. This will also be emphasized in the upcoming club search, wherever my career continues. The place has to be one that suits me.

Pohjanpalo believes he is more resilient today than he was a few years ago.

– When I was younger, I was more impatient and I came out of the box maybe too much. Then, of course, the results will not be so good. You have to be cold-headed, even if there aren’t many places to do in the match, Pohjanpalo says and continues:

– Quite a few games in Dortmund (Erling Braut) Haaland is a good example of this for me. He’s pretty much alone on the field, and there may not be much contact with the game gear, but then one ball is in the goal. In modern football, of course, even an attacker has to be involved in the game, and that doesn’t mean he’s just standing alone at the top all the time.

Pohjanpalo always craves solution goals, and no spectacular top hits.

– I always prefer to take it out of a hundred hundred with the addition of a sack paint before with the individual performance of some fine leveling paint, laughed the scare of paint at the end of the interview.