SCB-Honka between genius and madness: welcome to the “Circus Julius”!

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There are two Julius Honkas. The supremely talented player, the first-class eyewear maker. And the gambler, the defender, who can destroy his team with one terrifying mistake. The problem is that you can’t have one Honka without the other. There is no genius without madness.

This will be evident again on Saturday from the 3-2 win, which brings the quarter-final series against Zug to 2-2. First it is a beautiful solo by the 28-year-old Finn who initiates the leadership of Colton Sceviour in Bern. “Circus Julius” at its best. But then it is Honka who causes the 1:2 with a horror bad pass and brings the Zug team, which previously had virtually no chance, back into the match. In any case, the SCB escaped in horror and can no longer allow the victory to be denied them.

Honka’s penchant for risky play is also the reason he is not that popular with coach Jussi Tapola. Even though he says afterwards: “I like all my players.” And he quotes the American politician and diplomat Edward J. Phelps, who died in 1900: ‘Someone who makes no mistakes usually does nothing.’

Tapola prefers to avoid spectacle

If Swedish defense chief Patrik Nemeth had not been suspended for his weak position against Andreas Eder, and Canadian striker Corban Knight had not been so weak in the 6-1 debacle in Zug, Honka would probably have been in the stands on Saturday.

Much to Tapola’s chagrin, Nemeth was suspended for a second game. The two Honkas will therefore probably accelerate the heartbeat of the fans and his coach again on Monday in Zug. This cannot harm the entertainment value of the game, even though Tapola would be happy if his team seemed rock-solid, controlled and even boring.

Tapola is not the first coach to cut his teeth in Honka. In 2014, the Dallas Stars drafted the U20 world champion with jersey number 14 in the first round. But the talented defender with a great offensive drive failed to establish himself in the NHL in five years. “Willy Honka” then played for two years in Finland (first Jyväskylä, then Lahti) and Sweden (Lulea).

“They then think the coach has gone crazy.”

“If, as a coach, you use attacking defenders in a defensive role, they do not always understand that,” Tapola told the “Berner Zeitung” months ago. “They then think that the coach has gone crazy and do not see the point that it is only about developing more complete players.” And added: “You are artists and also want to entertain the audience. It is often only around the age of 30 that they start to think about the whole game, including the defensive aspects and winning. Previously, they were mainly concerned with attack, scorer points and entertainment.”

But Tapola and the SCB did not want to wait for this maturation process. Honka was sent to Servette in exchange for clearer Marco Maurer and won the Champions League with Geneva. When Swedish defender Theodor Lennström was fit again, the champions could no longer use Honka. So he returned to Bern as a guarantor, where he also has a contract for next season. It seems unlikely that he will continue playing under Tapola next season.

Source : Blick