Soaring to the Suo-mmit: Why HJK Helsinki could be Kansallinen Liiga champions-in-waiting – scout report

The Kansallinen Liiga might not be one of the most prestigious leagues in the European women’s game, but there is no doubt that it has provided its fair share of stories over the years and has given those who follow it moments of both joy and anguish.

Last season saw KuPS Naiset secure a historic league and cup double, but they will face a challenge to retain their top-flight title this year, with a number of teams looking to dethrone them and indicating their credentials as each week goes by. It certainly promises to be an enthralling campaign full of twists and turns.

The side currently leading the title fight is HJK Helsinki Naiset. They are a team who know what it takes to win the Finnish top flight trophy, having done so 23 times before now. Their reputation as one of the nation’s strongest female sides is not undeserved and has come through the calibre of players who have worn their shirt at one time or another, with Arsenal Women legend Marieanne Spacey-Cale, AC Milan Femmenile forward Oona Sevenius and current squad member Essi Sainio, who has spent a period of time competing for Turbine Potsdam and Freiburg Frauen in the Frauen-Bundesliga, all among those to have donned it over the years.

Whilst they have been experiencing a drought in recent times, having last lifted the trophy back in 2019, Arttu Heinonen’s team are not a side to underestimate, and this tactical analysis will highlight why a 24^th league title could well be on the horizon.

Transitional precision

When watching HJK Helsinki Naiset play, what becomes immediately obvious is that they have a distinct idea of how they want to operate and that there is a strong sense of unity and teamwork in everything that they do. That comes across particularly well when looking at how they move the ball up the field during transitional phases of play.

Building attacks starts from the back for HJK, with their centre-backs being tasked in each match with controlling the flow of their play and with deciding when to move the ball up the field and when to be more conservative, with it clear that what underpins so much of their play is a desire to never take unnecessary risks.

It is for that reason that situations like this, when the defensive trio of Jasmin Mansaray, Maaria Roth and Helmi Raijas are positioned close to each other and are looking to pass between themselves, have been prevalent in their play, and it is not a case of them being too negative, but simply that they don’t want to see the ball lost in transit and to hand their opponents easy opportunities to regain the ball and to launch attacks of their own from dangerous areas of the field.

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