According to the head coach of the Helmares, Marko Saloranna, the diversification of the attacking game has been a positive thing.
During the beginning of the year, the Finnish women’s national football team reached a winning streak of six matches. The last time the team achieved this was in 2012.
However, that streak ended in July when Scotland won 2–1.
– Of course, the loss was disappointing and we could have turned the game around in the second period. However, the game had a crowd record for a non-competitive match, which is great, says the head coach of Helmareite Marko Saloranta.
He has coached the Helmarii for a year. Saloranta says that one important area of development has been special situations on both the offensive and defensive ends. Coaches Tommi Laitila and Jonne Kunnas have worked hard for them. According to Saloranta, everything has been analyzed and broken down, such as sideline throws in different situations.
– First of all, it is important that we don’t concede goals from them. Second, they are a good weapon for those competitive matches. However, they cause a little headache because the team is not very big.
The Nations League starts in September
Helmarit starts the Nations League in September with a home match against Slovakia. In the same national team window, the team plays as a guest of Romania.
Saloranta says that the League of Nations is a great reform from the European football association UEFA.
– They are tight and even games. Our Fifa ranking has fallen so much in recent years that we play in the B-league. We’ve beaten those teams this year and that’s probably why we’re early favorites.
In the ranking of the international football association Fifa, Finland is ranked 29. The group opponents are Romania (39th in the Fifa ranking), Slovakia (47th) and Croatia (59th). However, Saloranta by no means wants to describe the block as easy. He refers to the ongoing World Cup.
– Among the top sixteen are teams with a lower ranking. For example, Morocco is in 72nd place. We are certainly the early favorites in the group and we accept that position, but it also requires a lot.
Saloranta says he is satisfied with the situation the team is in now before those games.
– All in all, there has been a lot, a lot of good things in the beginning of the year. Excluding the first match in Slovakia in April, where we fell short, even though we won the match.
The offensive game has become more diversified
Saloranta says that especially the diversification of the attacking game has been a positive thing. According to him, a good indication of that is that Helmarit has managed to score in nine consecutive matches.
In addition, Saloranta says that the defensive game was more aggressive when the team had enough balls on the offensive end. In July, the team managed to make it difficult for Iceland and Scotland, for example, to open the game.
Saloranta works as Urheilu’s expert during the World Cup. The current World Cup is also under the head coach’s exact control. No team can hide what different options are in their game, Saloranta estimates.
– We get a good idea of how each country plays. These games will certainly be gutted afterwards, when it becomes clear who we will play against in the EC qualifiers starting in the spring.