HJK’s new head coach Toni Korkeakunnas opens up his views to Urheilu and tells what kind of changes he wants for the Finnish football powerhouse. There are losses in the transfer window and we hope for confirmations from there.
Timo Uusitalo,
Jussi Vainikka
A long-time member of HJK, who plays in the Veikkausliiga football league, has coached the team with good success since May 2019 Toni Koskela was relieved of his position as head coach on Thursday. Those who worked in Huuhkajie’s national team coaching were replaced with a quick alert for the rest of the season Toni Korkeakunnas.
Finland’s reigning champion club started their European play on Wednesday in the qualifying round of the Champions League with a 1–0 home win over Northern Ireland’s Larne FC. At the weekend, however, HJK, third in the series, unexpectedly lost to FC Lahti in the Veikkausliiga.
– The mid-season story always has unpleasant things in the background, and not everything has gone as planned, states Korkeakunnas.
According to Korkeakunnas, things happened very quickly. The club had been in contact with him just a couple of days earlier about a possible head coach job.
– The situation has been on both sides here, both sides have thought about what is going to happen.
According to HJK’s press release, the new and familiar responsible pilot was washed to open the team’s back lock before anything else. Korkeakunnas was still active last season as part of HJK’s coaching group.
– The solution would not have been reached if someone had not gone wrong. In terms of play, the team has been a bit sticky, and the offensive game has not been as smooth as it has been thought. The results have not been sufficient, admits Korkeakunnas.
Korkeakunnas wants HJK to find the missing game look. You need to get more speed and enthusiasm to do things.
– Although the ground work has been done well and it has been of high quality during the previous coaching, there are still many things that need to be changed, because the change must be clear at this point.
“Flame bearer” Korkeakunnas
No pop art exists. They say everyone coaches in their own style.
– Gaming must be streamlined and simplified and find joy in doing it. These are the things of the spiritual side. The rear lock must be opened, emphasizes the 55-year-old pilot, who has a master’s degree in education.
Korkeakunnas is a personable football coach.
– I think that a coach’s job is to be the person who can help each player to be the best, own version of themselves. It hasn’t been certain when you think about HJK and its high-quality crew. For one reason or another, doing it has not caught fire in the club.
Korkeakunnas has previously coached FC Hämeenlinna, MyPa and FC Lahte in the Finnish premier league. He coached Lahti to the bronze medal at the World Championship in the 2014 season. The Helsinki-born coach says that his job is to be a “flame maker” who gets the players to play at their own top level.
– In a place like this, there are always a lot of things on the spiritual side. After that comes the means of how to tactically approach playing and what we will change through training.
In the transfer market, there is movement in both directions
According to Korkeakunnas, when you play almost every third day, then things should be clear – also on the mental side. Jumping on a moving train is not easy.
– We’re going pretty hard here now, and the train is no slouch. It’s a jump into the deep end when you also play European games – hopefully for a long time. However, it makes my own task easier when I know almost all of HJK’s players and also the coaching that stays there.
Korkeakunnas already worked last season as part of HJK’s coaching. Now, in addition to working with the club team, he continues in the Huuhkajie coaching team, where he has been a part of for six years.
The football transfer window is open again. What are the club’s new head coach’s player wishes?
– After all, I also have those transfer wishes. There is also movement in the other direction here. I don’t know if they have all come out yet, he says.
– It is clear that we need players when the goal is to play for the Finnish championship and also to reach the group stage games on the Euro courts. We have 16 healthy, available outfielders. It’s not enough to begin with. We need reinforcements for every department, suggests Korkeakunnas to the club management of HJK.