Scoutmania

On a sunny afternoon in Lahden Stadion, in the 21st round of the Ykkösliiga (Finnish 2nd tier), the two top teams FC Lahti (2nd in the table) and HJK Klubi 04 Helsinki (HJK reserve team currently placed in the 3rd position) shared the points by the final result of 2-2. The away team HJK showcased many talents in their team with a strong presence of players born between 2006 and 2008 in both halves.

FC Lahti, coached by the Portuguese manager Gonçalo Pereira in a 1-4-3-3 formation, exploited the space left by HJK (in high pressure) by dropping with one more midfielder beside the central midfielder Pami. This allowed them to change the point of attack and to disrupt HJK’s strategy to force the play towards one side of the pitch starting with their striker splitting up Lathi’s centre-backs (as you can see in the image below).

They create dangerous chances on counterattacks by using the space beside the opposition centre-backs in rest defense (as in this moment shown in the image below).

They scored their first goal following a hard inswinging delivery from a free-kick from wide (see image below) which the hosts’ young goalkeeper Haapanen (2007) tried to catch instead of ‘punch’ dropping the ball for the opposition defender Casagrande for an easy tap-in (25′).

Lahti’s second goal also came from a set piece, specifically a corner, when Hasa was quicker than his opponents in reaching a dropping ball which he directed towards the back of the net with a powerful shot from close range (47′).

HJK Klubi 04 Helsinki, coached by Perparim Hetemaj in a 1-4-2-3-1 formation, positioned their two central midfielders right behind Lahti’s first line of pressure (4v3) and adopted switches of play from their centre-backs towards their full-backs in high position to attack with crosses (in this image you can see a switch of play by the right centre-back Traore towards the left-back Soiniemi).

After losing possession in the final third, it was clear to see HJK counterpressing to regain immediately the ball with their full-backs ready to sprint towards their direct opponents to stop the counter (as you see in this image below) and their centre-backs stepping forwards instead of dropping to deny space for ball progressions.

They tried to get behind the defensive line by combining through the centre by having several option between the lines and by threatening the back space to stretch the opposition defensive line (as you can see in the image below in the attack which led to the 2nd goal scored – on penalty following a handball foul).

Both HJK’s first and second goal was scored by their creative winger / offensive midfielder Hardén (52′ & 77′) who showed good finishing skills, especially in the first goal scored with a precise volley with the inside of his foot towards the far post.

Here a list of the HJK players born in 2007/2008 involved in this match (who will be most likely playing in the UEFA Youth League match against the Lithuanian U18 champions BE1 NFA):

Mitja Haapanen (HJK), goalkeeper born 2007.

Mitja demonstrated the ability to distribute the ball with his feet with confidence and accuracy. He was effective in beating the opposition high pressure by chipping the ball towards the full-backs with different types of long passes showing great technique. He also showcased good explosiveness and reflexes in shot-stopping, especially in the end of the game when he secured the result with a super save in 1vGK situation.

Aaron Traore (HJK), centre-back born 2007.

Aaron is a right footed centre-back able to play out of pressure with good passing accuracy. He set up his team attacks with precise switches of play creating dangerous situations. Defensively he reads the game showing good maturity and anticipation skills. He played as a right game in the last part of the match demonstrating good adaptability.

Valo Konttas (HJK), right-back born 2007.

Valo supported the attack with well-timed overlapping / underlapping runs showing a good aerobic capacity and speed. He was very fast in counterpressing after his team lost possession and he was hard to beat when faced in 1v1 situations. In his physical duels Valo was strong and aggressive although at times he rushed his tackles conceding unnecessary free-kicks. He showed a lack of coordination and timing when heading the ball defensively.

Antton Nylund (HJK), central midfielder born 2008.

Antton possesses great passing skills and vision. He is able to play by using 1-2 touches and he’s aware of his options before receiving the ball. Good precision in his long passes.

Ilmo Toivonen (HJK), offensive midfielder born 2007.

Ilmo showed great spatial awareness when positioning himself between the opposition last two lines of defense ready to play forward. He was able to combine with his team mates by setting the ball with precise passes and could see openings in the opposition defensive shape.

Leevi Palmula (HJK), central midfielder born 2008.

Leevi came onto the pitch after 65 minutes. He immediately showed the intention to put his mark the match by making himself available with good supporting angles. He scanned his options before receiving the ball and could get the ball out of pressure with one touch passes. In addition, he contributed to his team attacks by running in the back space from deep with great timing.