Three months of uncertainty, 13 weeks wait 92 days late: The first third of his debut year with the lions, Frankfurt is for the new head coach Olli Salo almost over. And the football second division club, and his new Finnish Trainer run after a residue. Actually, the successor of the Finnish home Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho returned Matti should Tiilikainen its activities in the main metropolis on the 1. May record, the players get to know and about the whole summer to train. Then the Coronavirus threw all the plans. The first quarter of the year, his time as lions coach spent Salo with his family in Finland instead of on the Main. “It was nice in the beginning, because I was able to spend a lot of time with my wife and my one-year-old son, was with time, but also stressful. I wanted to Frankfurt to here is my work,“ says Salo in virtually error-free English with a slight Austrian accent.
Prior to his time as a coach in Finland, the blonde, 1.73 metres tall hockey coach, was five years in Innsbruck as a Coach, where he learned the German language. This facilitates its Start and the talks with the German-speaking part of the players, to which Salo recorded from Finland by telephone contact.
“, the Optimal Situation was not, of course,” says sports Director Franz David Fritzmeier. But what’s going on in the organized professional sports these days according to Plan? After all, the Manager and the new Coach via video, phone calls were almost daily in the exchange. The individual training plans are shaping Salo and according to his wishes, can modify it. Also with Co-Trainer Marko Raita and his brother, goalkeeper coach Valtteri Salo, state-of-the volleyball teacher in contact. It was spoken of then but usually only on the future, not the past, because Salo impartially his own picture on the spot wants to make. Much he does not want to change: “I want to continue along the same path, but I will contribute my own touch.”
the start of the season with a question mark
Salo is a Coach that “thinks as offensive rather than defensive”, verbally but not yet in the attack mode has gone. His first official words as the lion’s Coach are carefully chosen. The club target championship and the associated rise of he turning currently no thoughts, because this sun is too far in the future. The pressure he felt, therefore, no.
The 37-Year-old, who sees the future cooperation with the other two coaches and the players as a “team player”, radiates in the complicated Situation during the Corona pandemic, peace, and humility, at the same time but also his pleasure to the new task and its success will. The first impression? Salo seems to be a bit more open-minded and relaxed than the five years younger, J. in his first appearances in Public two years ago. His first impression of Germany? “Me and the family like it well, but it is hot. Brutally hot,“ says the Finn, who has moved into an apartment in Bad Vilbel, and laughs.
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the season in the second League will Start at the 2. October – but only if spectators can be admitted, constitute in hockey, a large part of the Budgets of the clubs. A lot of time left for Salo until then. Full train, he can’t keep still, as a part of the team is still in short-time work. A further group of six players signed with your contract extension the League, at the Corona-crisis-adjusted standard contract to protect the club against financial loss. A clause provides that the employment relationship between the player and the club starts a month before the start of the season – currently on 1. September, when the lion to the other six now perforce to four weeks shorter preparation begin.
