Goalkeeper

Jukka Lehtovaara; Club: TPS; Veikkausliiga appearances/goals: 112/0; Year of birth: 1988

Jukka Lehtovaara has been one of the most highly rated goalkeepers in Finland for the best part of a half a decade and already at 24 is one of the most experienced in the league. With Finnish national team being without a safe pair of hands after Jussi Jääskeläinen’s retirement, Lehtovaara should be the obvious pick. Constant injuries, however, have limited his chances both in the national team as well as in terms of breaking into bigger European arenas. Although still relatively young for a keeper, the TPS man’s chances of leaving for better things grow thinner each year, and the current campaign begins to be a make or break season if he is to transfer to somewhere more glamorous than Sweden or Norway. Know for his fast reflexes, Lehtovaara is a much more well-rounded keeper than often given credit for and the best that Veikkausliiga has to offer.

Defender

Jarkko Hurme; TPS; 74/1; 1986

Jarkko Hurme left for Udinese at a young age in 2006, but after three unsuccessful seasons spent in Italy the former Finnish U21 full-back returned to Finland to get his career back on track. A highly physical full-back/centre-back with pace, strength and skill on the ball, Hurme was one of the few defenders in the Finnish league who was able to back-pocket former HJK winger Dawda Bah at his prime. Will most likely start the season at left-back but would perhaps benefit the team more in a central role. At 25 time is starting to run out on Hurme in terms of making it into the big European leagues, but, due to a chronic lack of full-backs, he may still feature in Finland coach Mixu Paatelainen’s plans, especially if he earns a contract to Sweden or Norway for example.

Defensive midfielder

Duarte Tammilehto; FC Honka; 29/1; 1990

The former HJK trainee was perhaps the biggest revelation last season in Veikkausliiga. The hard-tackling midfielder filled the holding player role that Honka have been without for years. Now with playmaker Rasmus Schuller gone, the U21 Finnish international must take a bigger role in the creative department as well. 11 yellows and 2 red cards speak volumes about the 22-year-old’s competitive streak, but the midfield destroyer needs to curb down his tackling enthusiasm to further develop his and Honka’s game.

Attacking midfielder

Jani Virtanen; JJK; 79/4; 1988

Also a former Udinese player, Jani Virtanen made his breakthrough last season as an understudy for Mikko Manninen. Although the 24-year-old was still somewhat inconsistent last term, he is expected to orchestrate JJK’s play in 2012. Having the eye for the spectacular as well as plenty of pace and trickery, Virtanen still needs to find consistency, get more strength and develop the tactical attributes in his game (especially movement without the ball). With Europa League matches on the calendar for the Jyväskylä team this year, this should be the season the former TPS trainee makes himself a household name in the Finnish football scene.

Striker

Joel Pohjanpalo; HJK; 9/5; 1994

The 18-year-old scored 33 goals in 23 games for HJK’s reserve side Klubi 04 in the Finnish third tier last season, which allows HJK fans to dream of another rainmaker in the Teemu Pukki mould. Pohjanpalo, however, is a different type of player to his former team-mate but has even greater potential. With pace, determination, a fine eye for movement and venom on the shot, the teenager looks like the complete forward to lead the line for HJK. Many big European clubs are monitoring his development (Pohjanpalo already turned down Liverpool once), but the budding talent should consolidate himself in the HJK shirt this season before venturing abroad. If Pohjanpalo stays in Helsinki for the whole season and remains injury-free he may go on to score 15–20 goals. The biggest talent coming through HJK’s ranks since Mikael Forssel.

1. HJK: reconstruction begins after last season‘s dominance

Expect them to…be nowhere near as dominant and free-flowing as last season but still win the title due to the quality in the squad.

Strength: Variety in attack both in terms of numbers and player types should allow coach Antti Muurinen to pick the right players for the right occasion. Experienced defence that has been together for a long time.

Weakness: New centre-midfield with not enough penetration and dynamism. The use of one-dimensional Juho Mäkelä upfront will inevitably strip HJK off their attacking fluidity.

Expect great things from…the striking sensation Joel Pohjanpalo who scored 33 goals in 23 Finnish 2^nd division matches last season for HJK’s reserves. Also, he recently turned down a contract offer from Liverpool. The 17-year-old has a rare, insatiable hunger for goals (added with the actual skill and vision to score them).

Expect little from…returnee forward Juho Mäkelä who will score a few goals but still be more a hindrance than an actual asset to HJK.

2. FC Inter: will give HJK a proper run for their money

Expect them to…really challenge HJK this season but fall short due to a lack of depth in the squad.

Strength: Inter’s starting eleven is nearly as good as HJK’s, and their playing style is instilled in the DNA of the squad’s core.

Weakness: There remains a huge quality gap between the XI and bench. Especially if key members like Mika Ojala and Iraklis Siribladze get injured Inter will struggle. Job Dragtsma is undeniably a fine coach but his performance in the transfer market is less than impressive: for every find like Jos Hooiveld, the Dutchman has dragged in busloads of useless players (Guillano Grot or Daniel Osinachi, anyone?). The jury’s still out on the current lot, but Pim Bouwman does seem like the real deal (then again, Guy Gnabouyou doesn’t).

Expect great things from…dead-ball specialist Mika Ojala who will again score a tidy number of goals and assist (15+19 in 2011) and should get the next flight out of Turku if he is to further his career.

Expect little from…the strikers on the bench.

3. TPS: will to make a claim, but know own limitations

Expect them to…play balanced, safety-first football and keep the Turku title and European spot as priorities in the absence of any real chance of mounting on a championship challenge.

Strength: TPS can rely on their solid defence and having the best keeper in the league to get them through any forthcoming hard times. The Turku team are capable of playing through the middle with variety and in Toni Kolehmainen they have a clean, stylish deep-lying playmaker.

Weakness: Like their city rivals, TPS lack depth in the squad. The wide areas are another concern as, with Mika Ääritalo and Petteri Pennanen playing more centrally, only full-back Sami Rähmönen provides reliable penetration out wide.

Expect great things from…keeper Jukka Lehtovaara who would (and perhaps still should) be Finland’s No1 had he not suffered from constant injuries in the past.

Expect little from…coach Marko Rajamäki who has a decent enough XI in his hands, but may not have the required tactical ability to create a successful style for them.

4. JJK: potential is ripe for the picking

Expect them to…be perhaps the most entertaining team in the league, ripping defences apart with quick counters time and again. However, the Jyväskylä team will also concede plenty.

Strength: A versatile attacking third packed with pace, skill and power is supported by a balanced, combative midfield. Speed-merchants Jani Virtanen and Mikko Manninen will pose any Veikkausliiga defence problems.

Weakness: Coach Kari Martonen needs to find a better playing balance to shore a weak defence. A too impulsive attacking intent would be JJK’s downfall as oppositions are a year wiser in how to play against them.

Expect great things from…former Udinese winger Jani Virtanen who will try to find consistency to complement the spectacular.

Expect little from…a shaky defence that shipped in 32 goals in away games last season.

5. FC Honka: more of the same, just with poorer results

Expect them to…once again show that a well-defined playing identity is more important than the individuals on the pitch. As years go by, the Honka players keep getting younger.

Strength: Mika Lehkosuo has done a great job in creating a clear style of play while at the same time making player development a priority. This will again be the reason (and the only reason) for any possible success in the absence players.

Weakness: With not enough bona fide experience, the young squad will struggle in times of trouble. The experienced players such as Jussi Vasara and Tomi Petrescu are no leaders of men.

Expect great things from…midfield destroyer Duarte Tammilehto who will look to build his name with something more than just bookings this term.

Expect little from…Honka’s home advantage as the Espoo team suffer from the worst kind of good weather supporters.

6. VPS: too early for a true VPS renaissance, but on the right track

Expect them to…score some goals after being a substitute for sleeping pills for a few seasons.

Strength: The Vaasa team may have played some boring football in recent years, but they definitely have kept their balance book healthy (actually being one of the few Finnish teams turning a profit). This has given VPS the means to start building a balanced and positively functional team. The reliable Olli Huttunen seems like the right fit as new coach.

Weakness: VPS lack the cutting-edge in the attacking third. Jarno Parikka definitely has qualities, but the former HJK striker is also suffering from the worst case of misplaced goalscoring shoes.

Expect great things from…the whole team that look to gradually consolidate themselves as a club to be taken seriously again.

Expect little from…a defence that lacks quality on every position.

7. IFK Mariehamn: more balanced but too predictable

Expect them to… play a lukewarm season now that the team is built around a core of experienced Veikkausliiga players.

Strength: The middle channel (Jani Lyyski-Mika Niskala-Petteri Forsell-Aleksei Kangaskolkka) looks strong and should be one of the most consistent in the league.

Weakness: If leading players suffer injuries, there are little options on the bench. Also, wide areas lack penetration.

Expect great things from…attacking midfield Forsell who has the skill for the unexpected but needs to start applying himself more to the basic rigours of the game in order to dominate matches.

Expect little from…MIFK’s bench.

8. KuPS: trying to reinvent the cogs in their cogwheel

Expect them to…try to reinvent themselves as a ball-playing team after years of travelling on route one.

Strength: The defence should provide a solid enough platform on which to build on, but their ability to open play will be the key question if KuPS aim to keep the ball on the deck.

Weakness: Esa Pekonen has done a decent job in Kuopio, but the no-nonsense coach must learn fast to be able to teach new tricks to a squad uncomfortable in passing the ball.

Expect great things from…the team’s workmanship attitude.

Expect little from…KuPS consistency as the team is not built to cope with the extra burden of European football.

9. Haka: talented coach, untalented squad

Expect them to…build on a surprisingly good last season and stay clear of relegation battle.

Strength: The coach Sami Ristilä has been able to instil confidence and create a functioning, straightforward playing style into a team lacking quality on every department.

Weakness: The team overachieved last season so a poor start could spell potential disaster. The leading players such as Dema and Shane Robinson must carry the team.

Expect great things from…Ristilä who, with his hands-on, open-minded mentality, is one of the brightest coaching prospects in Finland.

Expect little from…former ManU trainee and Honka man Jami Puustinen who, with limited basic playing skills, is not the leading forward Haka are seeking.

10. MyPa: a good coach and the right mentality go a long way

Expect them to…be everyone’s favourites to go down but perhaps exactly for that reason stay up.

Strength: The coach Toni Korkeakunnas provided a small miracle by guiding MyPa to eight in 2011, and this season they begin from a similar starting point. There is still really no reason why they should necessarily go down. The squad has players with potential but also with all to prove at Veikkausliiga level. Add that with the ‘us against them’ mentality instilled by the coach (after all of the media and fellow players and coaches have labelled them relegation favourites) and you’ve got yourself a receipt for success (well, escape anyway). With small margins in the lower reaches of the league, MyPa know that they only need to keep one team below them. And that they are capable of doing.

Weakness: MyPa has the weakest starting line-up on paper in the league (and the bench doesn’t look any better by comparison) so Korkeakunnas really needs to exploit every bit of potential in the team.

Expect great things from…the classical small man-big man strike partnership of Pekka Sihvola (one of the most underrated players in the league) and Riley O’Neill.

Expect little from…the substitute forwards.

11. FC Lahti: the idealists are shooting themselves in the foot

Expect them to…play idealistic passing football that will earn them admirers but guarantee inconsistency.

Strength: The midfield has plenty of ball-playing skill and enough potential for penetration as well, which should mean that Lahti have the ability to practise what they preach.

Weakness: Coach Tommi Kautonen’s idealism shows in the fact that Lahti lack muscle in crucial areas of the pitch. Skill is a good substitute for power providing that you have balance. Lahti, however, does not have it.

Expect great things from…Lahti’s belief in their ideology (but idealism is hardly synonymous with success).

Expect little from…their collective defending with little blue-collar attitude in the team.

12. FF Jaro: attacking football works only when you know how to defend

Expect them to…play possession football and dominate games. They will, however, also concede goals at will (and go down because of that).

Strength: Jaro’s clear playing identity.

Weakness: Alexei Eremenko Sr. is perhaps the most overrated coach in the league. Granted, the Jaro legend is able to teach players in the art of attacking, but totally lacks the ability (or will) to make them play comprehensive, balanced football that starts with organization at the back. The mental weakness of the team shows as petulance and lack of self-belief when they concede in matches they control.

Expect great things from…17-year-old attacking midfielder Simon Skrabb who already showed glimpses of his game changing ability last season.

Expect little from…Jaro’s defending, both collective and position-specific.

The former Kilmarnock and TPS coach signed a five-year contract with an official goal of reaching the 2016 European Championships. Regardless of whether this objective is achieved or not, the actual significance of Paatelainen’s tenure is assessed in an even longer time span. The first task for the new coach has been to reconstruct a new tactical strategy and rejuvenate the squad not only in terms of age structure but with regards to the overall mentality as well. Paatelainen, therefore, ultimately took charge of laying out a sustainable structure for the development of the national team, and in order for Finland to have any chance of achieving the historical qualification in four years’ time (Finland have never featured in a major tournament), the development process needs to be balanced and meticulously planned.

Mixu looks forward as Finland coach

The early signs are encouraging. Paatelainen was never known for his pace when spearheading Finland attacks as a bulldozing centre-forward in the 90s, but the 45-year-old has been quick to lay the structural groundwork off it. He has instilled a new, progressive tactical strategy and tried out and got to know a host of new (and old) players, which is something few of his predecessors could be bothered to do properly. The first phase of the Paatelainen revolution has been about theory and its gradual implementation while the results have been of purely secondary interest. The second phase, the 2014 World Cup campaign kicking off next autumn, will concentrate on fine-tuning the established system to uncover more intricate details on how it functions against different playing styles and tactical approaches. Finland had the misfortune to be drawn in the toughest group in the whole draw (featuring Spain, France, Belarus and Georgia), but the silver lining is that the group offers a perfect tactical lesson as each team play a different brand of football. Then when the Euro 2016 campaign starts, the strategic platform should be set and the efforts to claim the actual cake by going for the results, and the results only, can begin. Now at the start of 2012, the curtain is effectively drawn on the first phase of the project and it is time to look at the implications of Paatelainen’s start as Finland coach.

Tactical evolution: Finland are a team once more

Just by looking at the results, the 2012 European Championship qualifiers were an utter disaster. Finland finished the campaign with a dreadful total of ten points from ten matches, slumping to fourth behind Holland, Sweden and Hungary (recording only one draw against the top three; a drab 0-0 in Budapest in the final round). The blame for the Euro 2012 debacle lands mostly on the porch of Baxter who was still the coach during Finland’s horrific start to the campaign: 0-2 defeat in Moldova (the worst Finland performance I’ve ever witnessed) and subsequent 1-2 defeats in Holland and at home to Hungary. These results give some perspective on the magnitude of Paatelainen’s task; he inherited an aged squad that were in a state of tactical confusion and that had ascribed to a loosing mentality. As a result, the rest of the campaign was always going to be a transition period for the team in the guidance of a new coaching staff (with assistants Markku Kanerva and Sami Hyypiä). And it is particularly in this respect that the first months of the Paatelainen era have been a success.

Although Baxter always wanted to flag himself as a football modernist, with his application of a 4-2-3-1 formation and all his talk of attacking football (and of rubbing shoulders with Arsene Wenger), it is Paatelainen who has brought Finland into the 21st century on the pitch. Paatelainen made ‘the Christmas tree’ (4-3-2-1) the primary formation, and the tactical choice, with its actual interpretation on the pitch, has proven to be a progressive one. By selecting a system that fits the players, creating a consistent style where each player has a clearly defined role and by putting a lot of effort into practising various attacking combinations, the new coach has introduced a vital sense of balance and comprehensiveness into the playing. The new tactics and new-found focus have shown in a more fluid collective movement, more proactive passing game and more effective transition play (always one of Baxter’s favourite talking points, which just never really translated onto the pitch). There is also an apparent belief amongst the players in the system and, as a result, the team’s collective potential. Finland may have lost to Holland and Sweden at home, but in both matches the team showed they can do a lot more than just sit back and take a beating. All this demonstrates that the players have bought into the new methods and style of management. And no wonder! After Baxter’s cold shoulder treatment, Paatelainen’s arm-round-the-shoulder, hands-on mentality, combined with tactical sensibility, must feel liberating for the players.

New strategy, new squad

While the new tactical approach has been an evident point of development, the most notable changes have taken place in the personnel. The likes of Roman Eremenko (Rubin Kazan), Niklas Moisander (AZ Alkmaar) and Kasper Hämäläinen (Djurgårdens IF), who all already featured in Baxter’s team, are now deservedly the first names on the squad sheet. And although the old hands such as Mikael Forssell (Leeds), Petri Pasanen (Red Bull Salzburg) and Mika Väyrynen (Leeds) are still knocking about, it’s the new players who have taken centre stage as Teemu Pukki (Schalke; attacker; born 1990), Alexander Ring (Borussian Mönchengladbach; midfielder; ‘91), Jukka Raitala (Osasuna; full-back; ‘88) and Joona Toivio (Djurgårdens IF; centre-back; ‘88) have all become starting players.

Especially Pukki and Ring represent the type of footballers who can put Paatelainen’s strategy into action. Pukki has great skill on the ball, quick feet in tight spaces and the ability to try something different, while Ring combines a tremendous work ethic with dynamism, skill and drive. The emergence of new players shows that the new coach is not afraid to put his trust in raw talent (after all, Ring had played only a couple of dozen Finnish league matches when making himself a regular feature), which is a fundamental departure from the selection policy that has been the norm for the best part of a decade in the national team.

The introduction of young players may be the most self-evident shift away from the old regime, but the new selection mentality is perhaps represented best in the fate of two well-known players: Perparim Hetemaj (Chievo Verona) and Jari Litmanen (HJK). One of Paatelainen’s first decisions when taking over was to give Hetemaj (who always remained unwanted by Baxter) a big role in his plans. Litmanen, on the other hand, has not been called-up. This decision has raised much debate, like all decisions regarding the most loved Finnish player do, but Paatelainen is right in his judgement to leave the Ajax legend out. First of all, even if Litmanen can still provide the odd flash of pure genius, his pedestrian style of play is not suited to Finland’s dynamic approach. Secondly, the 40-year-old doesn’t fit into the Euro 2016 project that favours players who can still play a role in four year’s time. And thirdly, Litmanen was simply unfit to be included as he started only two matches for HJK in 2011. These two decisions have sent a clear signal through the echelons of Finnish football: past is history, the present and future are all that matter. If you are to cut a credible figure as coach, the least you must do is to practise what you preach, and Paatelainen has done exactly that.

The new coach, like his team, is not a finished article but remains a student of the game. Throughout his career on and off the pitch Paatelainen has demonstrated an ability and, equally importantly, a desire to learn and improve himself. The former Bolton and Hibernian striker’s journey from being a player-coach at St. Johnston, to the managerial seat at Cowdenbeath (then a Scottish third division side) to be awarded the SPL manager of the year award at Kilmarnock for the 2010-11 season (despite quitting mid-term to take the Finland job) is testament to this. Paatelainen has brought in plenty of fresh tactical ideas and instilled a feeling of unity in the national team. To put it in the clearest possible terms, the football Finland play simply makes sense now as you are not only able to gather an impression what they aim to do on the pitch but also how they aim to do it. This is already more the Baxter ever achieved during his two-year reign.

Part 2, which concentrates more on tactical details, of Paatelainen’s start as Finland coach will be published here soon.

As testament to their superiority, HJK, time and again, ripped the other title contenders apart. The season highlights included a 4-2 home victory over Inter (a result that flatters the visitors greatly), 2-0 win away to Honka and 6-2 and 6-0 demolitions at home to TPS and JJK respectively. HJK also exorcised any Honka demons they may have still harboured by collecting 7 points from three games (two away) against the Espoo team (as they did against Inter). The only flaws in the season’s makeup were the two defeats inflicted by TPS (both away).

HJK had the title in the bag already in late summer, but, despite a non-existent title race, HJK fans experienced a season’s worth of drama in Europe.

Schalke thrill turns into disappointment

After years of failures in Europe, HJK finally had a squad that gave them license to dream about success. Their phenomenal start only served to raise expectations as HJK made Champions League history in the 2^nd qualifying round by beating the Welsh champions Bangor City 10-0 at home and 13-0 on aggregate (the highest scoring victories ever recorded in the tournament). Huge expectations were placed on the 3^rd round meeting with Dinamo Zagreb, but in the end the Croatians beat HJK 3-1 on aggregate. The defeat, though, still meant they were able to find consolation from the Europa League.

However, when they were drawn against Schalke, perhaps the toughest opponents in the draw, few dared to hope for success. Contrary to almost all expectations, HJK managed to keep the dream alive for 135 minutes as they memorably beat Schalke 2-0 at home in the first leg and lead 3-2 (on aggregate) during half-time in Gelsenkirchen. The sky came down in the second half as the 2010 Champions League semi-finalists ran rampage and went through to the Europa League with a 3-6 aggregate result. Regardless of the monumental disappointment, HJK proved that on their day, and with a maximum performance, the team were good enough to challenge most teams in Europe.

The Schalke matches may not have brought lasting success on the pitch, but they did provide a huge boost in revenue through ticket sales and, most importantly, transfers. Star players Dawda Bah and Rafinha were sold to Augsburg and Gent respectively while Juhani Ojala had already joined Young Boys Bern after the Dinamo defeat. Although prominent players, the trio remained small bait when compared to the hero of the season: Teemu Pukki.

At his best Pukki dominated the Veikkausliiga at will, but the 21-year-old striker waited until the biggest match of the season to really explode on the scene. Scoring two spectacular goals at home against the German giants, Pukki became a Finnish phenomenon overnight and the most talked about player since Jari Litmanen. As if that wasn’t enough, the former Sevilla man went on the score HJK’s only goal in the away leg; the goal was even better than the two he scored in Helsinki and in terms of sheer class comparable to any goal scored anywhere in Europe in 2011. Schalke fans probably hadn’t heard of the curly-haired Finn before, but they certainly have wasted no time embracing him since.

All in all, it was a magnificent season for HJK; a season which will not be repeated any time soon no matter how many league titles the most successful club in Finland will go on to win.

HJK’s title team in 2011

Key players

Mathias Lindström (Centre-back: 22/ 2/ 0)

After Juhani Ojala’s departure and due to Rami Hakanpää’s injuries, Lindström became the leader of HJK’s defence. The 30-year-old had the game of a lifetime against Schalke at home as he backpocketed Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, but faltered away as the Dutch striker scored four times. A towering presence in the league with consistent performances, the former TamU defender reads the game well, has good positioning ability and is better with the ball than given credit for. Earned a two-year extension on his contract.

Teemu Pukki (Attacker: 17 games/ 11 goals/ 8 assists)

The 21-year-old former Sevilla striker not only fulfilled his huge promise in 2011 but also became the new face of Finnish football. Was a dominating force in Veikkausliiga and struck gold in the most crucial stage of the season, scoring three fantastic goals against Schalke in the Europa League play-offs. The goals represent exactly the qualities that set Pukki apart from all other players in the Finnish league: stealthy movement, vision, tactical maturity, perfect touch on the ball, lightning pace, unwavering self-confidence and the skill and audacity to do the spectacular. The best player Veikkausliiga and Finland have seen in years. Transferred to Schalke in the autumn.

Rafinha (Right full-back: 19/ 2/ 6)

The best full-back in the league. The Brazilian developed his defensive game and tactical qualities during the season. Had poor games at home to both Bangor and Dinamo but showed his talent against Schalke at home with a swashbuckling performance. Due to his stamina, pace and good technical skills, Rafinha was able to brush off the remaining flaws in his game. Transferred to Gent.

Alexander Ring (Centre-midfielder: 24/ 2/ 3)

The 20-year-old is an extraordinary talent but also a showcase of how the combination of potential, hard work and determination can take you places: Ring made the journey from the lower reaches of the Finnish first division (2^nd highest league) to the first eleven of the national team in just one year. Dynamic, hard-working, physical and with plenty of skill and confidence on the ball, the former Leverkusen youth player has all the qualities needed to make an international level all-action midfielder. All Ring needs is to develop his passing and he’ll be the complete package. The revelation of the season.

Ville Wallén (Goalkeeper: 30/ 0/ 0)

The captain had a near-immaculate season. Carried the team against Schalke at home, making a string of great saves, and despite HJK’s domination in the league, had to make one or two important saves per game. As testament to his excellence, the 35-year-old earned his first call up to the national team for the match against Sweden in the autumn.

Important first team players

Dawda Bah (Centre-midfielder: 16/ 3/ 5)

The left winger was switched to centre-midfield this season and at best Bah operated as the focal point of HJK’s attacking strategy. At worst though, due to defensive flaws in his game, the Gambian often left the centre of the park vulnerable to counter-attacks. It was telling that he was shifted back to the left in the tough European fixtures. Regardless of the limitations, Bah played a much better season than in 2010. Transferred to Augsburg.

Tuomas Kansikas (Left full-back: 22/ 0/ 2)

Kansikas was his usual industrious self throughout the season, which is exactly what you expect from the 30-year-old defender. With no special qualities, Kansikas is an epitome of the basic full-back. Hasn’t enough quality against tough European oppositions but is solid in the Finnish league. Unlike expected, the former MyPa man was able to keep his place as the starting left-back ahead of the more talented Mikko Sumusalo.

Juhani Ojala (Centre-back: 17/ 1/ 0)

Last season’s revelation started the season poorly (according to his high standards) but improved considerably as the summer progressed. Again the 22-year-old played his best games in Europe (against Dinamo), which speaks volumes of his actual ability not always evident in Veikkausliiga matches. Transferred to Young Boys Bern in August and was sorely missed at Schalke.

Akseli Pelvas (Attacker: 26/ 16/ 2)

Finally Pelvas made his real breakthrough into the frontline of Veikkausliiga strikers. The former U21 attacker was HJK’s top scorer (2^nd in the league) with 16 goals. His goal/minute average was roughly a goal per ever 100 minutes (which is 30 minutes better than HJK’s first choice striker and Finland player Berat Sadik’s). Hardworking and with good overall physical and technical qualities, but without any clear strengths with which to stand out, Pelvas offers a more reliable choice upfront to Sadik and could (and perhaps should) start next season as the first choice striker.

Aki Riihilahti (Centre-midfielder: 19/ 3/ 1)

Again the 35-year-old midfield destroyer showed just how important he is to HJK. In the European matches Riihilahti was one of the stand-out performers, playing to his strengths and holding the team together in the centre of the park. His feet may not move like they used to but the former Crystal Palace man can still chop legs like in his prime. Stayed relatively injury-free and as a result could take more responsibility on playmaking as well. Considering his future but should continue at least for one more season since he still has a lot to offer for HJK.

Berat Sadik (Attacker: 27/ 15/ 5)

Sadik is a complicated player. On the one hand, the 25-year-old scored 15 league goals, which is a tidy total for any striker. But on the other hand, the goals easily blind you from the deficiencies in his game, flaws that you wouldn’t expect from a player who has the status of a Finnish international. His lapses of concentration, fickle work ethic, poor first touch and composure continuously let him down when the going gets tough. The former Bielefeld man gets away with it in the league, but is simply not good enough in the international arena. Had he converted a relatively easy chance in Gelsenkirchen at a moment when HJK had momentum, HJK might be playing in the Europa League now. This may sound like a cheap-shot but the fact is that the same thing has happened time and again in the national team (including the U21 level) and in Europe with HJK. There’s no shame in being just a good Veikkausliiga forward, so perhaps Sadik should be assessed like one.

Erfan Zeneli (Right midfielder: 29/ 8/ 11)

The most unlikely candidate for the player of the season award. Zeneli’s development from being a constant source of frustration into an effective attacking wide player has been staggering. The fact he was involved in the creation of 19 goals and started 27 games in the league shows the importance of the 25-year-old. Zeneli has developed into a good Veikkausliiga player, but his quality, much due to his slight physique, proved to be not enough in Europe. Has raised some interest in Europe but signed a two-year contract extension.

Reliable squad members

Cheyne Fowler (Centre-midfielder: 25/ 4/ 0)

The South African defensive midfield was a constant presence in 2010 but had to adjust into a diminished role last season. A player that takes what he is given and has no false ideas of greatness, Fowler is a reliable player in Veikkausliiga. Due to his limited passing and positional ability, however, that’s as good as it gets. Scored a freak flurry of spectacular goals in the last rounds of the season. Transferred to VPS.

Rami Hakanpää (Centre-back: 18/ 0/ 1)

Hakanpää has enough talent to be a leader in defence but persistent injury-troubles hampered the 33-year-old’s season. When match fit, the former Honka man showed exactly the qualities that HJK need at the back: leadership, determination and distribution. If he stays fit, ‘Rambo’ will play a key role next season especially in Europe.

Timi Lahti (Centre-back: 8/ 0/ 0)

The U21 defender was loaned from Haka as a result of an injury-crisis at the time when HJK were starting the European campaign. Lahti couldn’t have made a more memorable debut as he played his first game in the home match against Schalke. Showed that he is good enough to play for HJK, but, with limited skill on the ball, it also became evident that the 21-year-old possesses no real special qualities. Despite this HJK saw enough to reward him with a two-year contract.

Jari Litmanen (Attacker: 18/ 1/ 4)

The Ajax and Finland legend never really got going due to injuries and started only two games in the league. Nevertheless, the veteran delivered the goods in the Cup final when no other was up for the task. ‘Litti’ scored the first (a real peach) and set up the second in a 2-1 win against KuPS. Got what he came for at HJK as the 40-year-old won his first Finnish league championship. Considering his future.

Sebastian Sorsa (Right winger: 28/ 6/ 6)

The flying winger started the season brightly but faded as the season progressed. This was partly due to slight injuries but perhaps mostly because Rafinha, with whom Sorsa formed the league’s best wide unit, was sold. Sorsa, due to his good work ethic, tireless running and excellent crossing ability, is the type of player that you want in the team even when he’s not at his attacking best.

Mikko Sumusalo (Right full-back: 17/ 1/ 2)

The 21-year-old had an ok season but, in truth, much more was expected. Couldn’t claim a starting role ahead of the more limited Kansikas and struggled in the European matches. The U21 full-back has undoubted talent but much improvement still needs to be done with his defensive work, particularly with positioning and physicality.

Fringe players

Sebastian Mannström (Right wide midfielder: 23/ 4/ 7)

The jinking attacking midfielder came to HJK with the reputation of a potential Finland international. However, Mannström never really settled in the strategy of the team and even though he was involved in the creation of 11 goals (which is a good achievement taking into consideration his role in the team) they were usually of lesser importance against lesser opponents. Got more chances in the autumn in meaningless games and showed what he can do in the last day of the season when playing in a more central inverted winger role. Nevertheless, the former Jaro schemer didn’t really make a dent on HJK’s title campaign. Will probably remain at the club even if a move might be the best solution for all parties concerned.

Jarno Parikka (Attacker: 19/ 3/ 0)

The fan favourite continued to show little of the promise that once made him a hot prospect. The stealth of his movement as much as his self-belief has gone out the window which explains the measly total of 3 goals in 19 games in a team that scored 86 overall. As a result, the 25-year-old will be packing his bags after five Veikkausliiga seasons at HJK. The move, though, will provide a fresh start for the HJK trainee who, despite his goal-shyness, is a good player with fine overall qualities.

O’Brien Woodbine (Right full-back: 8/ 0/ 0)

Arrived from VPS in August to replace Rafinha, but the Jamaican was nowhere near as good. A decent player with pace and skill but lacked the presence and drive needed to make it at HJK. Returned to VPS.

Other players

Robin Lod (Attacking right midfielder: 2/ 1/ 0)

The reserve team (Klubi 04) captain scored on his debut and showed enough ability in the attacking third to merit a bigger role next season.

Valtteri Moren (Centre-back: 6/ 0/ 0)

A bad injury cut the season short for the Finland U21 defender. May find opportunities limited next season after the signing of Lahti who is of the similar type. Nevertheless, Moren definitely deserves another chance.

Saku-Pekka Sallgren (Goalkeeper: 3/ 0/ 0)

The Finnish U21 keeper is regarded to be a huge prospect but the 19-year-old wasn’t really put to the test last season. Made some slip-ups in the games he played, but all in all looked good enough. Should start showing more character next season and pose a stronger challenge to Wallén.

Joel Pohjanpalo (1/ 0/ 0)

The 17-year-old scored 33 goals in 23 matches at Klubi 04 and was elected best player in the 2^nd division. Made his debut in the first team and the statistics alone should guarantee a chance to impress next season, but it may be that the striker will go out on loan to some other Veikkausliiga team.

Best XI (4-4-2):

Euro-sensation Teemu Pukki (or “Euro-Pukki” as Bild dubbed him) transferred to Schalke on a Veikkausliiga transfer fee record of approximately 1,5 million euros while Dawda Bah and Rafinha found new homes from Augsburg and Gent respectively (Juhani Ojala had already transferred to Young Boys in mid-August). From the sale of the quartet, HJK got an estimated total of 3 million in transfer fees. This may not seem like much in the context of the mad modern football economics but the sum actually exceeds HJK’s annual budget (about 2, 2 million).

HJK show foresight in transfer policy

HJK’s dominance has been staggering this season in the Finnish league. With nine rounds left to play, the reigning champions have a 16 point lead to second-place FC Inter. Therefore, despite a quality dip in the squad caused by the sale of four leading players, it is safe to assume that HJK’s title claim will not be at stake during the rest of the season. A more relevant issue, however, is how the transfers will affect their overall playing and tactical strategy.

HJK wasted no time signing replacements in place of the departures as Timi Lahti (centre-back from FC Haka), O’Brien Woodbine (right full-back from VPS) and Joel Perovuo (centre-midfielder from Djurgårdens IF) arrived in quick succession. Due to no imminent need in attack, HJK didn’t sign a new striker in place of Pukki (they already have Akseli Pelvas, Sadik, Jari Litmanen, Jarno Parikka and Kastriot Kastrati (on loan at Haka) on the books).

Quick decision-making in the transfer market often amounts to hasty shopping, but this time the seeming urgency with which HJK operated actually disguises the fact that their transfer dealings were extremely well thought-out. First of all, the new players should slot pretty effortlessly into the required roles and overall system. Secondly, the players represent the cream of the crop in the Finnish league: Lahti is a Finnish U21 regular and has shown the required quality to make it at HJK; Woodbine was widely regarded inferior only to Rafinha among Veikkausliiga full-backs and should provide similar attributes as the Brazilian; and Perovuo, though never really establishing himself in Allsvenskan, is one of the classiest midfielders in the Finnish league. Also, taking into account that the players are relatively young (born ’90, ’87 and ’85, respectively) and that only Perovuo was signed on a permanent contract (while Lahti and Woodbine are on a season-end loan with an option to buy), show an element of foresight that has not always been the prevailing factor in HJK’s transfer policy.

Tactical implications: more directness, less fluidity

Until now this season, HJK have played with a fluid 4-4-2 system that has been defined more by its flexibility than its numbers. As a result of the transfers, though, the strategy may change closer to what it was last year.

With the sale of Pukki, HJK lost not only a fantastic goalscorer but also a lot of all-round ability up-front. Now they are without a natural striker who feels comfortable linking play in ‘the hole’ and whose skills act as a key to unlock the most stubborn of defences. The departure of Bah deprived HJK of a player who can play in a more advanced playmaker role in midfield. HJK will most likely react to the situation by shifting to a more straight-forward approach in attacking build-up and execution by playing more directly through the centre of the pitch and wide channels. So expect to see more direct balls played forward to feed the pace of Akseli Pelvas, who will take the second-striker role alongside Sadik.

And here’s where Perovuo comes in. The 26-year-old will gradually take a more active role in midfield which means that the playmaking focus will shift to a deeper position. Despite Bah’s significance to HJK, Perovuo represents an upgrade in midfield in terms of actual footballing quality. The former Honka player has good positional awareness and an excellent passing range which offers an extra dimension to HJK’s game. Perovuo has the ability to spread passes to a wider area than any of the current players which makes it possible for HJK to shift the focus of play more effectively and with more precision.

Perhaps most importantly however, with Perovuo patrolling in a more withdrawn role, although he is able to roam forward as well, Alexander Ring can finally start taking full advantage of his enormous talent as he gets more freedom to make forward surges with and without the ball. Until now we have only been afforded glimpses of the immense attacking potential of the 20-year-old. For instance, against Schalke and in the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Moldova and Holland, the all-action midfielder showed that with his skill on the ball, tenacity and dynamism he is definitely the leading player for HJK and may become one for Finland in the future.

Regardless of the change in personnel, HJK will retain an element of penetration in centre-midfield. Added to this, they will gain more drive provided by an increasingly attacking-minded Ring and more balance since Perovuo functions as a more natural foil to Ring.

HJK may be a weaker team than they were before the transfer window, and they will definitely find it all the more difficult to make it in Europe next season, but, nevertheless, they made the right decision selling the quartet. After all, the player fees were a bit inflated after a successful marketing campaign in Europe and, at the age of 28 and 29 respectively, it was the right time to sell Bah and Rafinha.

HJK will not splash the cash on new players (that much they have learned from past mistakes) but rather invest it to sustainable development of the club. This is the right policy since it will give them an even stronger grass-root backbone that will perhaps not make them a big hit in Europe but at least keep them at the pinnacle of Finnish football for years to come.

Despite their illustrious domestic history, the Helsinki club haven’t enjoyed too many European nights like this. After HJK made it to the Champions League in 1998, they have only beaten Celtic (2-0 at home in 2000) from the bigger European clubs. The Champions League adventure not only started a whole new period in the club’s history but also acted as the springboard (with players such as Mikael Forssell, Shefki Kuqi, Aki Riihilahti, Hannu Tihinen and Jarkko Wiss) for the emergence of the ‘golden generation’ in the Finnish national team. Today HJK have a similar, unique chance to start a new era in Finnish football if they manage to negotiate the away leg in Gelsenkirchen.  

The first leg itself was an even affair with both teams creating plenty of goalscoring opportunities. While Schalke kept possession of the ball more, HJK always looked dangerous on the counter. The first goal of the match on the 18^th minute came courtesy of a textbook example of a smash-and-grab attack. After a dribble among a host of Schalke players, Sebastian Sorsa played a long pass to target-man Berat Sadik who shifted the ball to Pukki on the right flank. Pukki then advanced towards the Schalke penalty area, turned inside outside the box, leaving Kyriakos Papadopoulos trailing behind, and hit a delightful shot to the far top corner of the net. The whole attacking move was played with perfect timing and the finish executed with grace. The match then flowed from one end of the pitch to the other until the home side struck another blow for the visitors on the 55^th minute. After a moment of confusion for Schalke at the back, Pukki slipped free from the defenders and delivered a controlled finish to the bottom far corner. The visitors chased the away goal but were unable to muster enough menace to find a way past the resilient HJK defence.

HJK’s shape in central area frustrates unimaginative visitors 

All in all, this was a maximum performance by HJK. They attacked with pace, defended collectively with grit and organisation, and had the luck that Finnish teams usually fail to deserve on the big stage. Also, the key individuals who failed to show up against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League third round (such as Berat Sadik, Dawda Bah and Sebastian Sorsa) played their part. HJK have often played good matches in Europe against quality oppositions, but only lacked the stroke of brilliance to settle a contest; now they had it in the form of Pukki, the new sweetheart of the Finnish fans, whose skill made the difference between two evenly matched teams.

Despite every player having a fine game, excellent tactical preparation and execution were the keys to victory. While against Dinamo HJK still had some elements missing from their game, which ultimately cost them dear, this time around the coaching duo of Antti Muurinen and Juho Rantala had learned from past mistakes and did a perfect job in organising the team to deal with anything the Germans were to throw at them.

First of all, HJK were a lot better defending the wide channels than against Dinamo. Both wide midfielder Sebastian Sorsa and Dawda Bah (surprisingly enough) worked extremely hard providing back-up for the full-backs. Rafinha and Tuomas Kansikas were seldom exposed to one-on-one situations as the distance between the midfield and defence remained short for most of the match. However, knowing full well that they cannot defend the whole length and breadth of the pitch, the home side didn’t try to barricade the flanks altogether. With active pressing at key moments they prevented the visitors from counter-attacking through the wide areas, but overall concentrate more on keeping their shape in the central area of the defensive third. Therefore, HJK were comfortable letting Schalke keep possession, retreating close to goal, keeping tight shape and lurking for any opportunity to counter. The visitors passed the ball around but seldom looked like having the ingenuity to break down the home defence.

As a result, HJK’s performance was an impressive example of a mature and patient counter-attacking strategy. The defensive organisation was rigid throughout and the attacking transitions were played swiftly with conviction. Sadik, who had his best match in a HJK shirt, was effective making room for other players during attacking moves and his link-up play was phenomenal taking into consideration the quality of the opposition and his often lax performances in Veikkausliiga. If the former Bielefeld forward is able to maintain this kind of a physical approach to his game, he just might be a genuine prospect for the national team.

All HJK players had an important role to play in the game. Ville Wallén made a few match-winning saves in goal. Mathias Lindströn and Timi Lahti formed a solid, uncompromising centre-back pair. Rafinha and Kansikas were active in both directions. Alexander Ring shouldered the ball-playing burden in the centre of the park while Aki Riihilahti tackled everything that moved with both the zest of a teenager and the robustness of a seasoned warhorse. Bah played a balanced game on the left side of midfield and Sorsa made himself a constant nuisance to the Schalke defenders with his direct running on the right. Sadik’s physical presence worked to unsettle to away defence, a situation that Pukki then was able to take advantage of with his slick movement.

While the Finnish and German media have deservedly saluted Pukki as the main protagonist of the night, too few have noted the mature performance by Timi Lahti, HJK’s fourth choice centre-back at the time. Lahti, playing alongside the experienced Lindström, had a wonderful game against Klaas Jan-Huntelaar and Ciprian Marica taking into consideration that this was his first appearance for HJK. If ever there has been a moment that fits the idiom ‘to throw someone in at the deep end’ it was this and the U21 Finland defender handled the situation with calm assurance.

HJK are on the driving seat in the tie, but the contest is far from over. Schalke have scored eight goals in two home Bundesliga matches which serves as a reminder of the immense quality in the squad. The Finns don’t need to play a perfect match, but they must offer something going forward in the away tie (something that they failed to do in Zagreb); ninety minutes is a too long a time to just sit back and defend. On the evidence of the first leg, HJK know they can hurt the Schalke defence with well co-ordinated counter-attacks, and from this they can draw conviction. With the first leg victory, HJK have already added a new memorable piece in their history, but if they want to write a whole new chapter, they must get a result at the Veltins Arena.

That is a little stark. There is coverage of football and many people do care deeply about the sport, but sometimes commercial and broadcasting priorities give the game away.

This week is one of those times. Last Thursday HJK beat Schalke, semi-finalists in last season’s Champions League, giving them a real chance of making the Europa League group stages. Teemu Pukki scored two fine goals, increasing the price at which he is expected to be sold later in the year. The media has been full of HJK stories, the team swept RoPS aside on Sunday, and all should be well with the world.

That’s not how things are panning out, though. The second leg, which could well turn out to be a Finnish football team’s greatest ever achievement, was on Monday afternoon not guaranteed to be shown on Finnish television*. Neither Canal+ nor MTV3, a subscription network and free-to-air commercial broadcaster respectively, who share the rights to the rest of the competition, are interested in bidding.

All is not lost, however, as YLE, the state broadcaster (full disclosure: I work for them) are interested in showing the game. Other companies might be too, but not the logical choice – the wealthiest commercial broadcasters that are already committed to screening the rest of the competition.

That bears repeating: commercial broadcasters in Finland don’t think it’s worth trying to show a Finnish team in the tournament to which they already own most of the rights. That the game will effectively be a two-hour advert for Canal+ (‘you can only see HJK’s next Europa League match if you pay Canal+ 30eur a month!’) makes this situation even more bizarre.

Finnish businesses seem to agree with the TV companies’ assessment. No company has met HJK’s price to put a logo on their European kit, and so they are playing without a shirt sponsor. I’d like to think this was in protest at the over-commercialisation of modern football, but it’s not.

In Veikkausliiga there are sponsors’ logos covering every available space on HJK’s kit, so we can safely rule out an anti-capitalist revolt led by HJK owner and publishing magnate Olli-Pekka Lyytikainen. Companies just don’t value football enough.

Things might well change, but right now the Finnish football media and public are slightly distracted by issues unrelated to HJK’s phenomenal achievements, and I would really rather like it if they weren’t.

* The game WILL now be shown on YLE TV2, starting at 21:00.

The match created a huge buzz as the demand for match tickets caused a meltdown in the online ticket shop. The match is sold-out but it is an unfortunate affair that probably only half of the crowd come to the Sonera Stadium tomorrow to watch the home side, and that even fewer are audacious enough to dare to dream of HJK getting something more out of the game than another ‘respectable defeat’.

On the face of it, it does seem that HJK are without a prayer against Schalke who have the likes of Raul (who doesn’t play tomorrow), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Lewis Holtby and Christoph Metzelder on their books. But then again, who cares, HJK have Aki Riihilahti. As much as Schalke can be described as a near-world-class team that knocked Champions League holders Inter from the competition last season, they can be characterised as a bunch of over-paid has-beens and never-wasses (although they do have some interesting young players this year as well).

Schalke’s inconsistent start to the season has been nothing out of the ordinary. The perennial underachievers were demolished 3-0 at the hands of Stuttgart on the opening day of the season, but then bounced back with a 5-1 trashing of Köln last weekend, with Huntelaar bagging a hat-trick. The fact that the Dutch striker seems to have struck form doesn’t bode well for the injury-ridden HJK defence.

HJK beat FC Honka 2-1 at home with a make-shift squad on Friday with a performance that was far from spectacular. Injuries have started to plague the team at the worst possible time (while Valtteri Moren was just recently ruled out for the rest of the season, Rami Hakanpää has already been out for most of the season and one can rightfully question the decision to sell star centre-back Juhani Ojala before the European qualifiers are over) and because of this the hosts have no other choice but to start new signing and Finland U21 centre-back Timi Lahti alongside Mathias Lindström in the heart of the defence. Lahti arrived from FC Haka last week and is yet to make his debut in a HJK shirt. The home fans can only hope that the 21-year-old will showcase a can-do temperament and approaches the occasion as an once-in-a-lifetime chance to make his mark; the other choice would be to bottle it even before the match has started. Whatever the case, it is an unfortunate situation, but one that needs to be negotiated.

HJK must shore up wide channels

Especially in the away leg against Dinamo Zagreb HJK were extremely vulnerable in the defensive wide areas. Time and again, the home side terrorised the HJK full-backs Rafinha and Mikko Sumusalo and were able to deliver dangerous crosses inside the penalty box. This state of affairs must be mended against the Germans since Huntelaar, despite his weaknesses, is a veritable predator in front of goal.

In Zagreb the full-backs were left almost without back-up by the wide midfielders Erfan Zeneli and Dawda Bah. Dinamo ruthlessly took full advantage of this as both their wide midfielder and full-backs constantly advanced in the channels. The same is expected tomorrow as reports of Schalke’s weekend outing suggest that their wide men had an extremely lively match.

HJK coaches Antti Muurinen and Juho Rantala have reacted to this situation and will start Sebastian Sorsa on the right side of midfield in place of Zeneli who has been highly ineffective in the last weeks. This makes clear defensive sense as Sorsa has both the engine and the inclination to do the dirty defensive work. Also, the change should provide a firmer platform forward as Sorsa’s directness complements Rafinha’s more mazy approach better than Zeneli’s inverted style.

However, the defensive problem still persists on the other flank where Bah will start the match. It is a wise move by the coaching duo to use the more defensive-minded left full-back Tuomas Kansikas tomorrow, but without Bah’s defensive assistance HJK will provide the visitors with an open invitation which they will most definitely take. The problem here is not only that Bah has never shown a die-hard determination when it comes to tracking back and buckling down, but also that the Gambian doesn’t have the tactical know-how to form a solid defensive unit with the full-back behind him.

This problem cannot be helped, however, since with the current players, HJK are unable to remedy the situation. One solution would be to start Alexander Ring on the left and use Bah in the centre (against Dinamo at home, Ring played in a narrow wide role on the right). However, then the same defensive flaw would only shift into the centre of the park which would cause an even more serious hazard for the hosts. If new boy Joel Perovuo (Djurgårdens IF) would have had time to settle comfortably in in HJK’s system, only then could this change be considered. Ring was HJK’s stand-out player in Zagreb, both in a defensive and offensive sense, when used in the centre and, therefore, it would be a huge mistake not to use his strengths to the maximum against Schalke.

The situation is what it is and HJK just need to make the most of it. There may not seem to be much hope, especially since they were unable to win either of the matches against Dinamo, but stranger things have happened in football. HJK’s tactical plan was well-built in both games against the Croatians but too many players shied away from the occasion. Tomorrow everyone must be at their very best. If this happens, who knows, it just might turn out to be HJK’s day and the few who had the stomach to expect HJK to triumph would get the most satisfying chance to say “I told you so”.

HJK’s starting eleven (4-4-1-1): Wallén, Kansikas, Lindström, Lahti, Rafinha, Bah, Riihilahti, Ring, Sorsa, Pukki, Sadik

HJK started the match brightly, testing the visitors’ defence with a couple of rapid counter-attacks. Then on the 14^th minute, the feeling of anticipation turned into euphoria in the stands and on the pitch as Alexander Ring slipped clear from the Dinamo defence, picked up Dawda Bah’s excellent through pass, and coolly lifted the ball over the hesitant keeper Ivan Kelava.

The bliss didn’t last for long, though. Five minutes later, the visitors countered through the right, Fatos Bećiraj drilled in a cross inside the penalty area that, for the puzzlement of all, Rafinha clipped into his own net. Obviously the situation came suddenly and the Brazilian was running flat-out towards the goal, but, nevertheless, the decision to try to clear the ball was blatantly the wrong one since the nearest opponent was a good few meters behind him. Rafinha, who was one of HJK’s stand out performers, failed to adhere to one of the most fundamental defensive lessons: always know where the nearest opponent is.

After the equaliser, Dinamo started to get a better grip on the match and pinned HJK back into their own half of the pitch. The hosts may have lost control of the game, but they still showed that unlike last season, they are able to work effectively as an organised unit and minimise space in the crucial areas in and around the penalty box even when the opponents are dominating possession. As a result, the visitors could rarely play a clean ball into the danger zones and were only able to trouble the HJK keeper Ville Wallén with long-range efforts.

Dinamo started the second half actively with the intention of breaking the home side right at the beginning. They piled in the pressure with quick attacking moves through the wide channels, getting men forward and pressing high with numbers. Due to the high pressing, HJK had trouble opening play from the back and they had to withdraw into their shell close to goal. The home team’s toil paid off, however, as after about ten minutes of Dinamo’s domination, their early push ran out of steam. The visitors dropped the high pressing game and immediately hosts started to make better use of the ball and got more players forward.

During this period, HJK showcased some good possession football and created two excellent goalscoring chances. Pukki created the first one playing a cross in front of goal from the left side of the box, but Sadik’s first-time shot was blocked by the keeper Kaleva. The second opportunity also fell to Sadik, but Kelava this time stopped the header. And as so often happens when playing against a quality team, if you fail to deliver when push comes to shove, you are made to pay for it in the end.

On the 77^th minute, after a long spell of possession by the visitors, the playmaker Sammir slipped past the HJK centre-backs Juhani Ojala and Mathias Lindström and scored the winner. HJK brought on Jari Litmanen and Akseli Pelvas but, in the end, had to settle for another ‘honourable defeat’.

Tactical conclusion: Dinamo’s fluid 4-1-2-1-2 beats HJK’s flat 4-4-2

HJK tried to approach the match with their fluid interpretation of 4-4-2 (with Bah playing closer to the front two, Zeneli functioning as an inverted winger and Pukki moving more freely in the attacking third), but in the end it was the visitors who showcased better movement and were more effective in their application of the 4-4-2 formation.

First of all, Dinamo played with a narrow diamond formation in midfield which gave them a numerical advantage in the centre of the park. They clearly knew Bah’s attacking importance to the HJK’s attacking approach, especially when paired with Aki Riihilahti, and, therefore, made sure that when the Gambian moved into an advance position there was at least one player (often the experienced midfield destroyer Jerko Leko) keeping him off the ball. In the early stages, Bah was able to receive the ball further up the pitch, but as the game progressed the visitors pinned Bah back by cancelling space with active pressing in centre-midfield.

Bah, therefore, had to drop into a deeper position closer to the HJK defenders which caused problems when the hosts tried to open play from the back. If they aimed to play the opening pass past the Dinamo midfield and inside the visitors’ half they also had to bypass their own midfield players, and because of this the defenders were often resorted to play difficult searching passes to Pukki. With Bah, Ring and Zeneli unable to push forward early enough, Pukki was left stranded with the ball between the HJK midfield and the lone front-man Sadik. This move also deprived HJK of any hope of attacking on the counter due to the distances between the players. With the active pressing Dinamo effectively stripped the home team of their attacking weapons, which is something that hasn’t happened to HJK all season.

Then when Dinamo had the ball, they pushed the full-backs forward (especially the Argentinian Luis Ibanez on the left was lively) to provide the width that their narrow midfield lacked. Also, Sammir, playing at the tip of the diamond, constantly roamed from his position with either Mehmed Alispahic in midfield or Bequiraj in attack occupying the free space. With stearn organisation, HJK managed to take out the visitors’ counter-attacking threat for the most part, but this also meant that, with so many players behind the ball, HJK couldn’t themselves make effective attacking transitions. Despite HJK’s organised defending, however, Dinamo also had the quality to attack patiently with short passing surges especially through the wide channels.

Dinamo’s substitutions change the game

It is often erroneous to congratulate coaches for making a good substitution. This time though Dinamo coach Juroslav Kurcic definitely deserves all the back-slapping he can handle for timing his substitutions to perfection. Kurcic brought on Ante Rukavina in attack and Mateo Kovacic in midfield halfway through the second half exactly at the moment when HJK had momentum and looked like scoring. The changes instilled a fresh sense of energy in the visitors’ game and, as the game wore on and the HJK players began to show increased signs of fatigue, perhaps were the deciding factor in the outcome.

HJK head coach Antti Muurinen also acknowledged that energy and fatigue were crucial factors in the defeat: “Tempo was fast and this caused mistakes. Again we conceded two goals easily. The quality of the oppositions showed. You could tell that we got tired and it somehow showed that we were exhausted in the later phases of the match.”

Muurinen is right in his analysis that it was much due to fitness why HJK lost the game in the end. However, the fact that he realised this raises the question why he didn’t do anything about it. While Dinamo brought on Rukavina and Kovacic when they were struggling, HJK failed to react accordingly. Almost immediately after Dinamo’s substitutions the focus shifted towards HJK’s goal. There was a long period when the visitors simply played cat and mouse with the home team and you could plainly see, like Muurinen concedes, that the HJK players were growing more exhausted every minute, and that it was only be a matter of time until Dinamo would create a chance to score. But, still, nothing was done to remedy the situation. Almost for the whole duration of this spell, Litmanen was sitting on the bench after having done his warm-up and listening to a seemingly endless tactical lecture from Juho Rantala. When the game finally paused after a long spell without any breaks and HJK had the chance to make the substitution (preferably two; Sorsa had already come on on the 61 minute when HJK were still very much in the game), Muurinen and Rantala missed their cue completely. After this it didn’t take more than a couple of minutes until Dinamo did the inevitable and breezed past the knackered HJK defence with a slick passing move and Sammir finished off the game, and perhaps the whole tie.

Obviously, Dinamo might have scored no matter how many substitutions HJK had made. But the fact still remains that Muurinen and Rantala bluntly missed their chance and failed to react to a situation inside the match that pleaded for a change. To make matters worse, in this case the reaction was a substitution that they were already preparing, a substitution that had probably been written in the coaching duo’s pre-game script, no matter what the situation or the score whould be: Litmanen comes on in the 75th minute. If only that had happened even when it was supposed to happen all along, but no. The coaching duo deserve credit for their over-all tactical plan and organisation of the team, but if they want HJK to succeed at this level, these kinds of mistakes simply cannot be made.

Despite losing the home leg, HJK must approach the match with an attitude that they are no pushovers, they must play to their strengths and show the same tactical maturity, just without the slip-ups, as they did last week in Helsinki. HJK definitely have an uphill struggle in their hands in Zagreb, but if (and this is a big if) they manage all this and also nip an early lead, they just might pull it off.

Player-by-player:

At the level of the occasion:

Juhani Ojala: Played a composed match, although was close at hand to watch Dinamo’s second goal. While Lindström struggled on several occasions, Ojala was a calm presence in the centre of defence. The 22-year-old read the game well, made important interceptions, cleared the ball emphatically whenever the situation demeaned it and was strong in one-on-one situations. Hasn’t always been at his best in Veikkausliiga this season, but showed that he has developed further from last season and is ready to make a big impression both at his future club Young Boys (transfer due in August) and the Finnish national team.

Teemu Pukki: Considering that the 21-year-old was without the ball for long periods, whenever the former Sevilla man got the ball (in which case he was usually alone against two or three defenders) he made whatever use of it he could. Linked play fairly well, didn’t give away the ball, and even managed to get a couple of shots on goal on his own effort. Did what he could, but still not a big performance.

Rafinha: A balanced match by the Brazilian. Has developed the defensive side of his game and showed (to the scouts in the stands) that he has the technical and physical qualities to play at a higher level than Veikkausliiga. Too bad that his only real mistake turned the game.

Alexander Ring: Scored a beautifully executed goal to put HJK ahead and all-in-all had a solid game. Showed his tenacity, his eagerness to be involved in the match and worked extremely hard. The 20-year-old needs to develop his passing further, however, until ready for the big time.

Ville Wallén: As always, the 35-year-old HJK captain was a safe pair of hands in goal. Lead the defence well and made a few good saves when called upon.

Need for improvement:

Dawda Bah: Started well but role diminished as the game wore on. Provided an excellent pass for Ring’s goal, but other than that the Gambian’s attacking impact wasn’t what his role requires. Dwelt on the ball and gave away possession too easily.

Mathias Lindström: Struggled marking the star-forward Ivan Krstanovic. Played as simply as he could and had a decent game.

Aki Riihilahti: The experienced midfield destroyer did what he could, but, despite having the heart, the 34-year-old simply doesn’t have the legs any more at this level. Made a few good interceptions and tackles, but should have also made a bigger impression when on the ball.

Berat Sadik: Linked play well in the early phases of the match, but then succumbed to his usual level. Too soft battling for the ball, tried some immature flicks when a simple pass was required and, did what he has done on too many big occasions in the U21 and full national teams, missed the crucial chance when it came his way. Compared to Pukki’s performance, Sadik played, quite frankly, at the level of a Veikkausliiga player.

Mikko Sumusalo: Couldn’t venture forward as often as he would have liked to and struggled at times in defensive situations. More is expected from the prospect, but due to his attacking qualities the 21-year-old may get another chance in Zagreb.

Erfan Zeneli: Started well enough, only to fade for the rest of the first half. Unlike Ring on the right, dwelt on the ball and didn’t always seem to know what to do without it. Played a fine second half, though, until being substituted for Sorsa.

Substitutes:

 Sebastian Sorsa (21 minutes): Brought little to the game as his one-sidedness showed thorough. Had one good chance to make an impact after a dribble but froze completely with the ball when a pass was needed.

 Jari Litmanen (13 minutes): Was able to do what he does best: find space, keep the ball and advance the attack with smart passing. Due to congestion in centre-midfield, drifted too much to wide areas and couldn’t provide a big enough impact. Had one good chance to score inside the penalty area, but his shot was blocked.

 Akseli Pelvas (9 minutes): Was active, fought for the ball, but couldn’t make a real impact.

HJK’s second round victory may not have sent a storm warning through Europe, but it must have caused a few eyebrows to rise, and not least in Zagreb. The Veikkausliiga leaders face Dinamo Zagreb in the first leg of the third round in Helsinki on Wednesday and the Croatians will be wary of the hosts’ attacking quality. However, by looking at the evidence from the Bangor match alone, they also must have a pretty good idea where HJK’s weaknesses lie.

Quality squad and versatile attacking strategy

The reigning Finnish champions made good signings for this season. They bolstered the defence, and especially its ball playing potential, with the experienced centre-back Rami Hakanpää (FC Honka), and added quality and numbers to the midfield and attack with the arrival of Jari Litmanen (FC Lahti), Sebastian Mannström (FF Jaro) and Berat Sadik (FC Lahti). In addition, Teemu Pukki started his first full season at the club and has been particularly impressive, scoring 9 goals and providing 5 assists so far in the Finnish league. Despite the big-name signings, it’s the diminutive one-time Sevilla forward who has established himself as the leading player in HJK’s attacking third.

Pukki has an unusual combination of technical, tactical and physical qualities for a Finnish player. His movement is excellent, he links up play well, he is able to hold his own with the ball in tight corners and works extremely hard in both directions. With little more ruthlessness inside the penalty area and the 21-year-old will be the complete package. HJK may have signed Litmanen with an eye fixed on the European matches, but it’s not the grand old man of Finnish football who’ll be the player that makes the difference in terms of European success. The role will be shouldered by Pukki.

The development of HJK’s attacking play is not only down to the new signings and quality individuals, however. The coaching duo Antti Muurinen and Juho Rantala have developed the attacking strategy even further from last season when HJK were still overtly reliant on wing play. The wide channels still provide the primary attacking outlet, but rather than defining the whole attacking system, the roles of the wide players are more built-in into the comprehensive strategy.

One of the reasons for this diversification of attacking approach is the former left winger Dawda Bah’s conversion into a centre-midfielder. As an attacking-minded player, Bah provides a natural bridge between attack and midfield, something HJK have lacked in recent years. HJK’s attacking shape now offers more systematic fluidity which enables them to use the width of the pitch better and to change the attacking focus easier during attacking moves. What is meant by attacking shape here is not that HJK use a rigid and predictable formation. On the contrary, a simpler tactical layout on paper has allowed the coaching duo to create more clearly defined player roles that serve to bring the best out of each individual’s strengths within the system. As a consequence, the actual execution of the attacking strategy has become more unpredictable, fluid and effective; in terms of the formation, this means that the default 4-4-2 changes easily to 4-2-3-1, 4-3-1-2, 4-2-1-3 or even 3-3-3-1 according to the requirements of a given situation.

While the right side of HJK’s attack is fairly straightforward in its approach, the left side has a bit more complicated job description. On the right, Sebastian Sorsa represents the traditional winger who runs at defenders and provides crosses from near the by-line. Rafinha has developed into Veikkausliiga’s best attacking full-back and, with his slick skill on the ball, is the perfect foil for the slightly one-dimensional Sorsa. On the left side of midfield Erfan Zeneli is used more as an inverted winger who cuts inside from wide areas and is, therefore, able to function as an auxiliary playmaker behind the attackers. Mikko Sumusalo and Tuomas Kansikas are both solid left full-backs, the former offering more going forward while the latter is more reliable in defence.

Rafinha in particular has become increasingly important to HJK. The former winger’s defensive limitations (especially to do with positioning and tactics) still manifest at times and he suffers from the odd lapses of concentration with his passing, but if the fast and skilful Brazilian is able to minimise his defensive mistakes, he is ready to make a claim on the European arena.

Defensive imbalance in centre-midfield

HJK have been tremendously effective in attack this season but their attacking excellence hasn’t come without a defensive cost. What they need now the most as they face the season’s first true European challenge is collective defensive rigour. Despite the fact that HJK have conceded the least goals in the Finnish league (13), their team defending has been far from immaculate. The reason for this is that with a strong emphasis on attacking tactics, they can be too easily exposed in midfield. Against Veikkausliiga oppositions this hasn’t been a problem, but it may be that once HJK are in the role of the underdog, when they are unable to dominate possession, their defensive frailty in midfield becomes a liability.

HJK must maintain a strict defensive shape at all times against quality European oppositions and, for the collective to be effective, each individual player must follow his defensive obligations to the letter. And this brings us to the most important question in terms of HJK’s defensive tactics: with Bah in centre-midfield, can they find the required balance between attacking and defending? While the Gambian is one of the leading players in Veikkausliiga, his defensive limitations are perhaps the biggest potential problem for HJK in Europe where the margin for error is far smaller. Bah’s game is based on his tremendous physique and technical attributes, but the 27-year-old’s positional radar is often way off in defensive situations (this already became evident in the Bangor match). This matter is exasperated further since Bah usually plays alongside the extremely talented but still inexperienced Alexander Ring. The duo have been excellent in Veikkausliiga, but they are still some way off finding a seamless defensive understanding between them.

Muurinen and Rantala will most likely react to this problem and field a more defensive-minded midfield, especially in Zagreb. Against Bangor the experienced midfield destroyer Aki Riihilahti partnered Bah in the centre while Ring replaced the injured Sorsa on the right, playing in a more central position. In the early phases of the match when the game was still fairly equal, the change failed to remove the initial problem and posed a new one on the right flank. Without the back-up of Sorsa, Rafinha looked lost in defensive situations (and was given a positional lecture by Riihilahti on more than one occasion) which allowed the visitors to attack through the right side of HJK’s defence. With Sorsa still injured in the home leg against Zagreb, HJK are expected to start with the same formation on Wednesday. Rafinha and Ring, therefore, need to find a mutual defensive understanding fast.

If lessons have been learner from last season, HJK can go through

Dinamo Zagreb represent exactly the type of team HJK must be able to compete with in order to boost their European status. With twelve titles Dinamo Zagreb are the most successful club in Croatian football, but they are by no means a household name in Europe. Regardless of HJK’s crushing victory against Bangor City, the Helsinki club still remain the challengers in the tie, but with a good chance of getting through. HJK not only have the best squad in place since they qualified for the Champions League in 1998, but their form has also peaked at the right time. If they cannot manage to make a strong claim in Europe this term, it may be that the HJK fans will have to wait a long time until the odds are even this much in their favour again.

To succeed, though, perfect organisation and collective tactical execution is required. Therefore, the players need to be fully aware that each individual mistake, lapse of concentration or poor decision, in defence or attack, may cost them dear. All this may sound self-evident, but looking at the evidence from last season’s European fixtures, the fact cannot be stressed strongly enough. Both Partizan Belgrad (in the Champions League third round) and Besiktas (in the Europe League play-off round) gave HJK a ruthless lesson in terms of how to exploit opposition’s mistakes. So far this season HJK’s best defence has been their excellent attacking play. Against Dinamo Zagred, however, HJK must find the missing defensive balance and tactical maturity as well.

HJK beat Inter 1-0 in the first outing between the biggest title candidates back in May. The result, however, didn’t do justice to the match as HJK’s domination on the pitch was apparent. And domination is exactly the word that describes ‘Klubi”s recent performances. The league leaders have recorded eight straight wins and scored 31 goals in the process, including a preposterous 6-0 win over TPS. HJK have been in crushing form especially at home which does not bode well for the visitors who have shipped in seven goals in the last two games.

Despite the defensive shortcomings (which haven’t been fixed by the arrival of former Finland and HJK defender Toni Kallio, perhaps more to the contrary) being a huge problem, Inter do have their say in the match. At best Inter can produce dynamic attacking moves which culminate in the intelligent and effective finishes by the trio Mika Ojala, Timo Furuholm and Henri Lehtonen (who have recorded 26 of Inter’s 34 goals). The dead ball specialist Ojala in particular has been in stellar form scoring 9 goals and providing 10 assists.

In order to stop Inter from inflicting their damage, HJK must clamp down in midfield to prevent Inter’s counter-attacking transitions. As the visitors will be looking to smash and grab whatever they can from the Sonera Stadium, HJK need to be determined and precise with their pressing without loosing their shape. However, since HJK’s central midfielders (Dawda Bah and Alexander Ring) haven’t found a full-proof defensive understanding yet, Inter may find the required space there to manoeuvre a way forward.

It is expected that Inter will sit back with numbers, keep a tight collective shape and hit on the counter. Dead balls will also be key, particularly since HJK’s defence have been far from immaculate when defending set pieces. Therefore, magic is anticipated from Ojala’s right foot. HJK, on the other hand, will approach the match with confidence, relying on their rolling attacking play and in-form attackers (lead by Teemu Pukki) to finish the title hopefuls off.

JJK’s start to the season has been a big surprise even if it was widely known that they have the potential to succeed. Coach Kari Martonen finally has the squad he needs not only to fulfil his active strategy but also to bring stability into their performances. Especially Mikko Hyyrynen, Mikko Manninen and Jani Virtanen (who scored a potential goal of the season against KuPS) have impressed in the attack. HJK, however, also need to concentrate on stopping the visitor’s strong centre midfield (Eero Korte and Jukka-Pekka Tuomanen) from creating a platform for the attacking trio to inflict their damage.

HJK have won all three of their home games, but they have already lost twice away. Especially in the last two league games (1-0 win against Jaro at home and 2-0 defeat at MIFK) they showed signs of frustration and predictability in their attacking, not least because of their inability to turn chances into goals. Eight goals in six matches is a dreadful total by a team with so much attacking potential and, therefore, the star striker duo Berat Sadik and Teemu Pukki must start finding their sharpness in and around the box. Also, another cause for concern for the hosts is that their centre midfield (Alex Ring and Dawda Bah) has not been wholly comfortable against quick counter-attacks. So taking into account the attacking potential and direct style of the visitors, the inclusion of Aki Riihilahti in the centre of the park is possible, which would mean that Bah would take his preferred place on the left side of midfield.

HJK are expected to field their strongest eleven after some of the key players were rested against VPS last Sunday. Berat Sadik and Teemu Pukki will start upfront, Alexander Ring will take his place in centre midfield alongside Dawda Bah, while more defensive-minded Tuomas Kansikas (who had a great game against Inter) will replace Mikko Sumusalo at left-back.

Jari Litmanen (who did’t travel to Vaasa) is expected to start on the bench and will probably make a cameo later on in the match. Old warhorse Aki Riihilahti is touch-and-go in terms of squad inclusion after the 34-year-old featured in the last two Klubi 04 (HJK’s reserve team) matches. However, there’s no reason to rush the injury-prone midfield destroyer since poor man’s Riihilahti Cheyne Fowler is fit. Sunday’s trip to Maarianhamina may be the more likely occasion for ‘Ägä’s’ return.

Jaro coach Aleksei Eremenko has most of his key players fit (though, full-back Tillman Grove is doubtful and midfielder Markus Kronholm is out for a month due to illness) and is expected not to make too many changes to his first eleven. However, despite Jaro’s inclination to an attacking strategy, the visitors will start with a bit more caution against the reigning champions. Eremenko will have his mind set on finding a way to stop HJK’s in-form wing men (especially Sebastian Sorsa and Rafinha on the right) from inflicting their damage. Therefore, there will be no place in the opening line-up for the 16-year-old Simon Skrabb. Jaro cannot come to Helsinki just to shut up shop and this is why they look to engage in battle in the centre of the park where HJK have been at their most vulnerable.

HJK can go into the match with full of confidence after keeping clean sheets in the two consecutive matches. However, against both Inter and VPS, HJK didn’t manage to open the scoring until late in the game and this is a problem coaching duo Antti Muurinen and Juho Rantala need to address. The home team will start the game actively and look for an early goal while the visitors are comfortable keeping their foot on the break, with an eye for the counter-attack, early on and open up their play more as the game progresses.

Nordic Football News has once again brought you the most definitive Veikkausliiga preview concievable. Now for the final part, our standings prediction. After much debate and wrangling, NFN Editor Egan Richardson had to step in to adjudicate the dispute, and this is our best combined estimate of how the season will unfold.

This year’s Veikkausliiga looks to be both the most open and the most predictable in years. At the media day traditionally held to open the season, every coach (bar Honka coach Mika Lehkosuo) predicted that HJK would win the title, because of their large squad and already solid team. There are two small problems there: they lack experience in central midfield, because of Dominic Yobe’s unfortunate legal difficulties and Aki Riihilahti’s unreliable fitness; and the other teams could close the talent gap with the remnants of Tampere United’s squad.

Inter coach Job Dragtsma also pointed out the difficulty of keeping a large squad happy, but we believe HJK will emerge triumphant in the end anyway. They have the talent to overwhelm Veikkausliiga teams, although if they come under pressure there are still question marks over coach Antti Muurinen’s abilities. Those abilities will be tested more thoroughly in Europe.

Coming in second in the NFN ranking are Inter Turku. They have the league’s best coach, an attractive style of play, years of experience and a squad that was gathered well in advance of the season. In recent years they have added last-minute reinforcements that struggled to settle, but this year Domagoj Abramovic, Federico Scoppa, Kalle Parviainen and Magnus Bahne have all had time to acclimatise before the season starts. If HJK slip up, Inter have a good chance of nicking the title.

Next are a group of teams who are all much of a muchness – we have them in a certain order, but that could reverse quite easily. KuPS are a solid top six side, but they somehow lack flair and are over-reliant on one man for goals. Last season it was Dickson Nwakaeme at the start, then Dudu, and this year it is switching back to Dickson again, despite his reported poor condition.

Honka are somewhat similar. They signed Dudu, which should bring them goals, but there are big question marks over their defence. Centre back Lum Rexhepi has inexplicably gotten southern football journalists salivating, but he is a mistake-prone teenager learning the game, not a battle-hardened veteran accustomed to taking responsibility.

IFK Mariehamn, on the other hand, look to be dark horses once again. We here at NFN are a little Åland-o-phile, at least compared to most of our esteemed colleagues in the football media. They have a decent-looking squad, including four reinforcements from Tampere United. Look out for Aleksei Kangaskolkka, who has the talent to make a big impression if given the playing time he was denied at TamU.

TPS are becoming accustomed to life without squandering huge chunks of cash on not very much, as they did under the stewardship of former owner and convicted fraudster Seppo Sairanen and former CEO and current head of elite football at the FA, Petri Jakonen. We expect this to be of huge benefit to them, as they develop the playing talent they have and scrap for every point under stern-looking head coach, Marko Rajamäki. If Toni Kolehmainen and Njazi Kuqi hit form, they could do much better than we’re predicting.

Next up, JJK. They are one of the clubs to have set themselves goals, with a top three finish in average attendances and on the field demanded by CEO Joni Vesalainen. We don’t think they’ll quite make it in the league at least. On paper they have a chance, with tricky winger Mikko Manninen, smiling destroyer Babatunde Wusu and bearded midfield general Tamas Gruborovics, but there’s something missing. Maybe Kari Martonen will find that missing ingredient and we’ll look like fools, but it’s worth bearing in mind that they have finished second bottom in the last two seasons, and we’re forecasting a big improvement on that.

Then we have everybody’s second club, Jaro. Under Alexei Eremenko Sr they will play beautiful football, develop good young players (including the youngest player in the league, 16 year old Simon Skrabb), and finish somewhere in mid-table. Their breakthrough is yet to come.

VPS are possibly the world’s dullest football team. They find it difficult to score, they don’t concede very many, and they will just about stay clear of relegation trouble. That’s it.

MYPA are difficult to pin down. Toni Korkeakunnas moved from Viikingit to coach the former factory side in Myllykoski, and he brought a few youngsters from Helsinki-area clubs. He also has two loanees from Tottenham Hotspur and former Haka veteran Mikko Innanen, but it will take time for him to stamp his ideas on the club. We reckon they’ll be comfortably bottom half of the table.

RoPS have an almost entirely new squad, after they sacked nine players suspected of match-fixing. With more Finns than ever before, they will have a strong home advantage as Rovaniemi rallies round. The squad looks weak on paper, but they have the financial resources to strengthen during the season and they are every other team’s least favourite away game. That should be enough to see them steer clear of relegation.

Haka, sadly, will probably be relegated. They have a miniscule budget this year, a threadbare squad and dwindling crowds. Coach Sami Ristilä has been a good motivator, and he will need to be if he is to get that group of players to put up a fight against relegation. He might well get that far, but we think it’s a fight they will lose.

Here’s the final ranking:

1) HJK

2) Inter

3) Honka

4) KuPS

5) IFK

6) TPS

7) JJK

8 ) Jaro

9) VPS

10) MYPA

11) RoPS

12) Haka

You can follow us on Twitter at @NordicFootball, @JanneOivio, @jvsalminen and @EganRichardson. We are also on Facebook

You can find the rest of NFN’s Veikkausliiga preview here, just click on the links. Part I – Part II – Part IV.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Haka used to be good. And on solid financial footing. Now, they’re on ground zero. Sedu Koskinen may have rode in to save the day a few years ago, but he left massive problems behind as he accumulated huge spending and virtually zero income. What used to be the leader of the Rebel charge against the HJK Empire is now nothing more than a sad footnote at the tail end of the league.

Having kicked all their African players to the curb due to match-fixing allegations, another club looking at dark times (pun perhaps intended) is RoPS. Rovaniemi has worked overtime to clean its image after the nine-player scandal broke a few months ago and has made a huge stink about only hiring Finnish players when possible. They’re in dire straits, but only talent-wise. That’s a lesser problem than Haka’s.

So, on to the worst of the worst.

The Trade Federation

MyPa

Last season: 9th in Veikkausliiga

Good: Finally decided to dust off the cobwebs and traded, wheeled and dealed in both the coaching staff and a large portion of the squad (11 new players, 3 new coaches). Guys like Mikko Innanen are solid Veikkausliiga players, and the team has two very intriguing imports from Tottenham, Kudus Onyenuga and Jake Nicholson. Coach Toni Korkeakunnas knows how to find affordable talent from his time at Viikingit.

Bad: In the opener against IFK Mariehamn, MyPa was exposed badly as being a work in progress. Also, there is a good reason why most of the new players have come from Ykkönen or last years relegation candidates. The squad is thin, and they already have injury issues up front (Fidan Seferi was inexplicably dumped to PK-35 Vantaa and Pele Koljonen out for a long time). MyPa has had to cut costs dearly, and it shows.

Key Man: Ville Saxman: The young midfielder was one of the true breakout stars last year. Playing next to veteran midfield general Antti Okkonen provides a nice safety net, since Saxman likes to play in advanced positions. If he doesn’t go, MyPa doesn’t have a good passer in the middle.

NFN prediction: Like the Trade Federation in Star Wars, MyPa is a fading former power broker. Others are swooping in and taking over. It’s going to be tough, since I doubt there is any money for reinforcements and the squad isn’t exactly super talented. A lower mid-table finish seems on the cards with a whiff of ”if things get out of hand, we’re screwed”.

RoPS

Last season: 1st in Ykkönen

Good: They used to be run by Veikkausliiga’s resident Jabba The Hutt, Jouko Kiistala. Kiistala, even with his merits of keeping the club in good financial shape, got exposed for his methods when players acquired from Africa for ridiculously low salaries were implicated in the match-fixing scandal. For all the problems, the club has managed to bring in intriguing talent such as stopper Thomas Götzl, a Finnish youth international and forward Mika Lahtinen. Veteran Tuomo Könönen can lead a solid defense. And there’s one key variable that sets RoPS up to beat Haka against the drop, but we’ll get to that soon.

Bad: They lost nine players to the scandal. Nine! The adjustment has been difficult, and the players brought in as replacements are mostly Ykkönen-level players in an already thin squad. For John Allen, this is his first full season coaching in Veikkausliiga. He does know how to fire up a squad, though. The midfield is lacking in almost every concievable way. Bringing former skipper Ville Syväjärvi back gives them a combative presence.

Key Man: John Allen: I wouldn’t normally name a coach here, but it’s hard to find a player for this, either. Allen needs to prove he can weld the squad together, and I’m pretty sure he won’t get tied down by aesthetics. RoPS will be a hard-nosed pain in the ass for every team. RoPS has actually managed to forge a strong fighting spirit from all their troubles, and a fiery coach like Allen is just the guy to take advantage of something like that.

NFN prediction: RoPS will beat the drop, barely. The squad isn’t exactly high on quality, but they can make moves if need be. And that’s the clincher between Haka and RoPS. Haka has absolutely no money, RoPS has plenty and have vowed to spend. I think they might still end up with a few more TamU-players, allowed to move outside the transfer window, but most importantly I think they’ll bring in 4-5 new faces when the window re-opens in the summer. And that brings us to…

Jar Jar Binks

Haka

Last season: 8th in Veikkausliiga

Good: What’s good about Jar Jar Haka? Virtually all the remaining good players left during the winter, and virtually no-one came in. Timi Lahti and Regillio Nooitmeer anchor the defense, and that’s about the only good thing about Haka. Acquiring Antti Ojanperä off of TamU’s corpse gave a bit of depth and experience.

Bad: Meesa think dis gonna be a baaaaaad year. The strikers are woeful, the midfield lacks both in defensive talent and play makers, the flanks lack speed and creativity and even the aforementioned defense is wafer thin. When I look at this team, I’m almost reminded of the putrid team KooTeePee fielded in 2008. If your best strikers are Pekka Sihvola and Albert Kuqi, you’re not long for this league. I’m sorry.

Key Man: Regillio Nooitmeer: The dutchman needs to be perfect at the back for Haka to stand any chance of surviving. He’s got good size, instincts and strength. To be honest it’s quite surprising no-one took him off Haka’s hands.

NFN prediction: Like the aforementioned annoying alien, Haka seems completely out of place where they are and no-one can explain why they are there. This team is really THAT bad. Sure, they’ll win here and there, but with absolutely no money in the coffers and a lacking youth system, a couple of injuries (inevitable during a 33 game season) will absolutely decimate the club. And if they do go all-out and buy new players, they run the risk of going bust.

So there we are. Will anyone be able to top the Empire? We think not. Don’t be afraid to leave questions and comments on Facebook, Twitter or here in the comments section.

You can follow us on Twitter at @NordicFootball, @JanneOivio, @jvsalminen and @EganRichardson.

You can find the rest of NFN’s Veikkausliiga preview here, just click on the links. Part I – Part III – Part IV.

Struggling beneath the far reaches of the Veikkausliiga elite is of course those who strive to be main characters but can’t quite pull it off. Some will do a better job than others. We’ve got a classic case of ”if we take ONE more risk…” which might end up in a party on Endor or what blew up in it’s sky. And we have re-tooling teams that had a good run last year but had to reboot. And the most boring team in Veikkausliiga this side of MyPa.

So on to the mid-table, starting off with

The Sarlacc Pit

Let it be known that Tampere United’s fate was a classic fall into the Sarlacc Pit. United overextended themselves financially for too many years and finally fell into a thousand years of gruesome death. Sadly, we already have our next candidate, which is…

JJK

Last season: 13^th in Veikkausliiga

Good: The Hired Guns. JJK put tons of money in to their squad, adding quality player like midfielder/winger Mikko Manninen and Tamas Gruborovics, striker Babatunde Wusu and midfielder Eero Korte. Their starting eleven is pretty imposing and full of experience with holdovers Jarkko Okkonen and Juha Pasoja leading the defense and target man Mikko Hyyrynen up front.

Bad: Anyone else feel like pulling an Admiral Ackbar and screaming ”It’s a trap!”? JJK think they’re closer and closer to success, but something tells me that the money gods Death Star has a fully operational weapons system with JJK in it’s crosshairs. Club chief Joni Vesalainen has not hidden the fact that this is a do or die season, seeing as the club has accumulated losses of over half a million euros over their two Veikkausliiga seasons and yet still they spent even more than in years past. Still, the squad is short one or two quality fullbacks (sorry, Niko Markkula and Tuomas Latikka just don’t cut it if you want a top 3 finish), and Korte and Jukka-Pekka Tuomanen at the bottom of midfield are overrated. It’s a trap!

Key Man: Jani Virtanen: The mercurial forward has a staggering difference between good and bad days. Can win games on his own on a good one. If he finds his focus, JJK could have a sellable asset on their hands.

NFN prediction: It’s either the ultimate reward of a life of adventure and hot chicks or falling to a hideous death. Even Boba Fett had his day, but ultimately fell. Too much risk when even the reward wouldn’t be that lucrative. The absolute peak is positions 3-4, but realistically they don’t have the depth to challenge the big boys. Leaping from two consecutive stints in the relegation playoffs to a medal is too steep, and that puts the clubs future in jeopardy. For JJK fans sake, let’s hope that’s not the case. Upper mid-table, but JJK could fall in to the Sarlacc pit if they’re not careful.

Cloud City

TPS

Last season: 3^rd in Veikkausliiga

Good: Adding Njazi Kuqi, Juho Lehtonen, Petteri Pennanen and Niklas Tarvajärvi up front should bolster a forward crew that lost so much talent it’s hard to fathom. The defense should be rock solid with quality fullback Jarkko Hurme joining a solid core of Jaakko Nyberg, Jarno ”middle finger” Heinikangas and versatile Sami Rähmönen. TPS play a relatively straight-forward brand of football, which should make adjusting to the squad easier.

Bad: TPS is like Lando Calrissian after Darth Vader marched into Cloud City. What used to be a stocked, lucrative business has suddenly lost a ton of assets and what was a bright future is now much murkier thanks to Seppo Sairanen pulling his financial backing. What’s left isn’t all that pretty. And I’m pretty sure coach Marko Rajamäki wouldn’t have had a problem with Esa Pekonen being frozen in carbonite after their dressing room bust-up last year. The starting XI is still imposing IF Tarvajärvi, Kuqi and Lehtonen can shake off long-term injuries, but the bench is short. The midfield lacks the creative power from last season, so look for a much more direct TPS this season.

Key Man: Toni Kolehmainen: Veikkaaja Rookie of the Year Kolehmainen played extremely well next to Riku Riski and Chris Cleaver last year, but they’re both gone now. The AZ Alkmaar trained midfielder has to take more of the playmaking reins now, and it’s a big jump to make. Kolehmainen has the ability, though.

NFN prediction: TPS will be among those who fall hard after a heady season of a medal and winning the cup last year. If everything goes to plan they might have a shot at going for the bronze, but the reality is that too much of the early season will be wasted in transition and learning. What separates their rebuilding from IFK’s is that IFK got their pieces months ago, while TPS could only start building a short while ago. Sounds like mid-table to me.

The Droids

One is fun to watch, the other isn’t. Care to guess which is which?

Jaro

Last season: 5^th in Veikkausliiga

Good: Small, adventurous and totally unaware of their limits. Alexei Eremenko is still the coach. He can coax good performances and attractive football out of a dead horse if need be. Dickson Agyeman and Ilja Vaganov among others look like proper additions. Venance Zeze came back. With Papa Niang and Jussi Aalto a relatively dangerous team up front. Youngsters like Simon Skrabb and Patrick Byskata will make the team exciting to follow.

Bad: Too much has changed from last seasons heady fifth place finish. Most notably star man Alexei Eremenko junior is missing, although he could return for a brief summer stint, which would obviously change things. Also gone are Evgeni Novikov and Ymer Xhaferi. So hey, no problem. That’s only the entire engine room and creative department gone. The team is too young and raw, even for a smart coach like Eremenko. This will be a difficult year.

Key Man: Dickson Agyeman: He has an impressive resumé. He’s skillful, aggerssive and unafraid of taking responsibility. Markus Kronholm next to him in midfield provides critical defensive support.

NFN prediction: If Eremenko junior comes, R2D2 can open the blast doors Jedi-style and be the hero. As things stand now, they’ll get blasted to mid-table at best. 33 game schedule will be tough for the thin squad. Extremely tight finances mean that reinforcements are unlikely.

VPS

Last season: 10^th in Veikkausliiga

Good: There’s nothing wrong with being boring, right? VPS has been the model for conservative, let’s-stay-out-of-the-way-and-we’ll-be-safe operating for years. Chairman Eero Karhumäki has done a tremendous job of turning a small profit with a small, unknown squad and a decrepit stadium. To boot, VPS has been able to bring in a few quality players. Moody striker Aleksandr Kokko is an upgrade over moody striker Jussi Aalto. Ville Koskimaa and keeper Janne Henriksson are solid additions at the back. Strikers Antonio Inutile and Valtter Laaksonen were out all last year, so that’s almost like adding two new faces. Edgar Bernhardt is a gem in midfield. VPS stays within its limits on and off the field. Not very interesting, but efficient.

Bad: Being conservative also means that the squad is very bland. There are no real ”WOW!” players on the roster, and by that I mean players who can single-handedly swing games in their favor. The squad has decent depth to stave off relegation, but not enough to challenge higher. And although Kokko is an upgrade up front, he needs quality servce. Not sure he’ll get that consistently.

Key Man: Jani Tanska: The center back has to lead the back four even better than last year. Familiarity with most players should help with that. VPS absolutely have to cut down from 40 goals allowed (on a goals per game average) if they want to improve.

NFN prediction: This team is dying for a clear-cut profile player. Without one or two additions, expect the normal mid-table mediocrity out of Vaasa. Hats off to their smart financial control, but that won’t make them any more interesting.

So there you have the mid-table. With the right moves and stroke of form, I could see JJK, TPS or maybe even Jaro playing for much better positions. Problem is, they’re overextended as it is and it’s hard to see how they can get better any time soon. VPS maybe could, but won’t. VPS really is like Sir Anthony Tiresome of the Boringwood Academy, but their financial discipline really has to be applauded in these difficult times.

In many ways, JJK and VPS are polar opposites in their approaches. Problem is that the real solution for clubs from midsize towns is middle ground. A club with tight financial reins (VPS) but leadership that is innovative and understands the importance of integrating the club into the community through not just football, but schools, charities and being actively involved in local events (JJK). So if I have one wish, it’s to find Vaasaskylän JalkaPalloseura. It’d be the perfect formula for a Finnish football club. Yet, somehow, it always has to be one or the other.

Stay tuned for part 3, the relegation candidates.