Alexei Eremenko Jr has spoken of his happiness at returning to the Finland squad after his exclusion last autumn. The FC Saturn striker has lost weight and improved his training habits, and is now once again talking with all the optimism and joie de vivre of a seasoned Finnish international.
“The important thing is that we don’t lose the game,” Eremenko told journalists, in a speech clearly inspired by Winston Churchill. “If we lose, it gets difficult – then we’d have to beat Russia.”
He then went on to state that a draw wasn’t the objective and they wanted the three points, but when Finland try and play cagily they usually mess it up, and it is to be hoped that the plan is not to sit tight and play for a point. It’s not going to be easy though:
“I’ve seen a couple of their games on video, they’re not a hopeless team,” continued Eremenko. “They played well and dominated in their last game against Russia. They defended well and were good on the break. We definitely can’t afford to lose, but of course we will aim to get a win and the three points.”
On his own situation, he was diplomatic over his exclusion from the squad.
“The coach decides when you play and when you don’t play,” said the former HJK striker. “It’s not up to me. It’s up to the coach. He’s the boss and decides who, when and how.”
“Everything feels good at the moment,” Eremenko continued, when asked about his own fitness. “I’ve gone through the pre-season without a problem, have been in every training session and played a couple of matches. Hopefully I’ll play on Saturday too.”
“The two first league matches were tough for us. I played as a forward, and against CSKA I nearly scored. Against Zenit the pitch was in a useless condition. I sprained my ankle twice.”
Tim Sparv’s call-up looks to be more than a stop-gap measure, as Mika Väyrynen discovered today that he will be out injured for 6-8 months after an operation, and Finland lost another midfielder to a less serious knee injury. Teemu Tainio’s ongoing injury troubles have prevented him from taking part in Saturday’s game at the Millenium Stadium. Although he has been training with Sunderland, Tainio is not yet match fit and has decided to train with his club in the hope that his knee will improve.
The under 20 team lost 3-2 to Cape Verde after leading 2-0 on Wednesday in Madeira.
Twitter: fjordball
Says:
27. March 2009 at 1:53 am
Ah.. good old TT. His injury-record with Spurs made Ledley King look like a stalwart. What a legend he is though, if nothing else then for this tackle on a Sevilla-player who had been time-washing and feigning injury all game: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1p6kg_tainio-red-card_sport