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Press and Journal
2 days ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen winger Topi Keskinen lifts lid on mammoth 18-month season - that will continue with Euro under-21 finals this month
Aberdeen winger Topi Keskinen is determined to end a mammoth 18-month long season by becoming a history maker with Finland. Keskinen is set to star for his nation in the UEFA European under-21 Championship that runs in Slovakia from June 11 to 28. The 22-year-old has been recalled from the senior squad for the Euro U21 finals because the tournament has immense significant for the Finns. It is only the second time Finland have reached the Euro U21 finals, with the previous appearance in 2009. Participation in the Euros further extends Keskinen's gruelling season that began in January last year with HJK Helsinki. He enters the Euros on a high having helped Aberdeen secure Scottish Cup glory with a win against Celtic in the final. Keskinen has played 71 games without a break and admits that relentless schedule is tiring, more emotionally and physically. However, he is fired up for one last push to add international glory to his Scottish Cup winning triumph. He said: 'I knew I was going to have a long season when I didn't get sold in the January transfer window last year. 'I thought 'now I'm in Helsinki and the target is to go in the summer'. 'I have played for one-and-a-half years now but that is just professional football. 'When you have so many games you don't have that much time to think about it. 'I just had to make sure that I recovered well from the different games. 'I'll have a few days off and then I have the Euros. 'I think mentally it's even harder than physically.' Keskinen's season began in January last year when competing in the Finnish Cup. The winger had only a month off having competed in the UEFA Conference League group stages until late December. He faced Aberdeen home and away during that group stage in 2023, starting a 2-2 draw in Finland on November 30. Keskinen played 22 games for HJK Helsinki in the new Finnish season before an £860,000 transfer to Aberdeen last summer. The winger's final appearance for HJK Helsinki was when starting a 3-0 win against AC Oulu in the Veikkausliiga on July 27. His debut for Aberdeen was on August 17 when coming off the bench to score a stoppage time winner in a 1-0 League Cup win against Queen's Park. Keskinen said: 'We had a longer season with HJK Helsinki because we were in the group stages (Conference League). 'We were still playing in the group stages when all the other teams were back from their holidays. 'Helsinki came back in January, so I had some of December off.' Finland will kick-start their Euro U21 campaign with a group clash against Netherlands at the Košická Futbalová arena on June 12. They also face Ukraine and Denmark in Group D with the final match on June 18. Should Finland progress from the groups the quarter-finals are on June 21 and 22. The semi-finals are on June 25 with the final set for three days later. Aberdeen return for pre-season training in late June in preparation for a campaign with guaranteed European league action. Keskinen said: 'I'm likely to get extra time off (by Aberdeen) having been involved at the Euros. 'It depends how far we get. 'But when you play 18 months of football in a row, you don't really need a full pre-season.' Keskinen played a key role in Finland's qualification campaign in Group E for the Euro U21 finals. During that campaign the winger broke into the Finland senior squad. He made his senior debut when introduced off the bench in a 3-0 Nations League loss to Greece on September 7. His first start for Finland came three days later in a 2-0 Nations League loss to England at Wembley. Capped four times Keskinen was recalled to the under-21 squad because success in the tournament means so much to the nation. He said: 'It's only the second time in Finnish history we've had a team in the Euro under-21 finals. 'This is a really big thing for Finnish football culture. 'We have a really good team and want to go through from the group. 'My friend Jukka Raitala who was a teammate at Helsinki is 36 now. 'He was in the team the last time Finland were in the under-21 Euros, so it's been a while.'
Press and Journal
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Winger Topi Keskinen outlines fundamental change to Aberdeen's game for Scottish Cup final
Aberdeen winger Topi Keskinen started against England at Wembley this season – but insists the Scottish Cup final is the BIGGEST game of his career. The 22-year-old has also won the Finnish Cup with HJK Helsinki, but that pales in comparison with the bid to lift silverware with the Dons. Aberdeen face treble-chasing Celtic in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden on Saturday. A 20,000-strong Red Army will travel to the national stadium and Keskinen has vowed the Dons will fight to take the trophy back to the Granite City. Keskinen said: 'I've played in some big games, but never in a cup final like this. 'The Scottish Cup final is the biggest and most important game for me. 'It is absolutely massive, and we have so many fans coming down to support us. 'They have travelled in numbers to every single game we have played. 'That's why we need to show them our fighting spirit in the final.' An £860.000 signing from HJK Helsinki last summer Keskinen has broken into the Finland team since moving to Pittodrie. He earned his debut senior cap in a 3-0 Nations League loss to Greece on September 7. Three days later, he started a 2-0 Nations League loss to England in front of 70,000 fans at Wembley. Keskinen arrived in the Granite City, having already secured cup success during his time at HJK Helsinki. He won the Finnish Ligacup in 2023, with HJK Helsinki beating AC Oulu 2-1 in the final. Ending Aberdeen's 35-year Scottish Cup drought would have far more significance for the winger, however. Keskinen said: 'I won the cup with HJK Helskini, but it's a pre-season tournament. 'Usually if you win it, you get bad luck for the league. 'However, we won the league after that cup success as well – but many teams aren't so lucky. 'That cup is not that big. That's why I didn't like the cups in Finland that much, because teams don't really care about them. 'In Finland if you lose the cup, you're like: 'Okay, now we have less games and we can focus on the league.' 'So that's the mentality there – I don't really like that. 'I think the cup should be like it is in Scotland, where you really want to win it. 'It's great to have the experience of these big important games where there is a lot of hype.' Aberdeen go into the final less than two weeks after suffering a heavy 5-1 loss to Celtic at Pittodrie in the Premiership. The Reds were also hammered 6-0 at Hampden in the League Cup semi-final in November. Keskinen is under no illusions over the need for Aberdeen to be clinical in front of goal at the national stadium. He said: 'When we get our chances in the final, we need to score. 'It was the same with Helsinki when we played the European games against good teams – if you don't score, they are going to score. 'When Celtic get chances, they are going to score, usually. 'I like Hampden a lot as the more space, the better for me. 'It is a special feeling playing at that stadium.' Aberdeen have not won the Scottish Cup since a penalty shoot-out victory over Celtic in the final in 1990. The Reds' previous Scottish Cup final appearance was in 2017 when they were narrowly edged out 2-1 by Celtic. Keskinen said: 'My girlfriend is coming to the final. 'My family and friends are not coming as you can watch the final in Finland – they will all be watching.'
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Valakari on 'miracles', his future & no hiding in survival battle
Simo Valakari has been speaking to the media before St Johnstone fight host fellow strugglers Ross County this are the key points from the Perth boss:Valakari's side will be relegated if they lose to County but Valakari insists they have enough to beat the drop and "miracles do happen".He adds: "It has been a lot of talking about this pressure, our situation, things like that. But it's almost like we going to the cup final. We can't play the occasion. We can't take the pressure of this and this. We need to play football. We need to make sure that we concentrate on one pass at a time, one throw-in at s time, one header, duel, second ball."The Finn says jobs are on the line, including his own, if the club are whether he expects to be in charge next season: "You need to ask the owners. I want to be here."On being linked with the vacancy at HJK Helsinki last weekend: "No, that's history. All the time I said, from the first day when I came here, I want to be in this football club."Valakari says financially staying in the Premiership is "huge" for St insists this week there "is no hiding" and everyone knows what is at stake.
The Courier
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari opens up on why he wants to stay
Simo Valakari has reaffirmed his commitment to St Johnstone. The McDiarmid Park head coach signed up for a long-term project in Scotland when he replaced Craig Levein. And his determination to help transform the Perth club will be undiluted even if they drop into the Championship. Finland's biggest and most successful side, HJK Helsinki, put Valakari at the top of their managerial wish-list when they sacked Toni Korkeakunnas recently. Courier Sport understands that follows an attempt a year ago to lure him home from Latvia. But Valakari isn't looking for an early exit. The Saints rebuild that is on its way this summer, regardless of the division they are playing in, remains his sole focus. 'I want to be here,' said the 52-year-old. 'I am putting everything I have into the rest of the season for this club and fighting to win games. 'And no matter what happens, I want to be very much part of the rebuilding. 'I am the most frustrated and disappointed we haven't been able to get out of trouble yet and I want to make it right. 'After that, I want to make this a much better football club once again. 'That is the project. 'When I spoke to the owners that is what we talked about. St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari. Image: SNS. 'Obviously, the first part of the job was to come in and firefight, try to plug the holes that we had. 'But the other part was the long-term, building something here. 'We all knew after a couple of weeks how big the rebuilding job was going to be – it's not just the playing side, it's every aspect of the football part. 'It's everywhere. 'We need many things on a lot of different levels. 'It's a big job but we knew that, and that was part of the attraction. 'That's why we have all been rolling up our sleeves and getting on with it.' Not a straight line Valakari stressed the need for a collective 'clear head' at McDiarmid. 'Of course, the moments when you're not getting results on the field that's when there's negative thoughts about how the rebuild is going,' he said. 'But it's in those moments you need to keep your head clear and stay focused on the path we want to take the club. 'It's never a case of just saying we will do this and automatically things will move smoothly in the right direction. 'In football it doesn't go in a straight line – there are always a lot of curves and we have seen that. 'You must have a plan. 'Sometimes it needs to be adapted depending on your circumstances, but you have to stay clear in what you're trying to do.' You don't have to look to far into the past to recall a St Johnstone team that was heading in the right direction, having beaten Celtic in the league ahead of a trip to Hampden Park in the last four of the Scottish Cup. 'We all felt it, I felt it and the team felt it before all the injuries,' said Valakari. 'We saw what kind of team we could be – that we could be a strong team. 'There was a Scottish Cup semi-final, we were keeping clean sheets, looking solid and playing with a proper identity. 'That's where we want to take this club.' Ikpeazu's training load Meanwhile, Uche Ikpeazu is set for a lighter than normal week of training ahead of Saturday's must win clash with Ross County in the wake of his first full game of the season the previous weekend. 'We will see with Uche,' Valakari explained. 'We will handle his training because it's not easy to be out so long then play 90 minutes. Uche Ikpeazu has a shot saved by Kilmarnock goalkeeper Kieran O'Hara. Image: SNS. 'Maybe Uche will need some more rest than others, but we will see how he is. 'We are still waiting to hear on Zach (Mitchell). 'Charlton are doing tests with him and will let us know when they have made a decision.'
