SCB coach Tapola about the showdown: “We need the right underwear on Saturday”

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It is Jussi Tapola’s (49) most important victory so far in his time at SCB. If the Bernese had lost, the season would have been over and the Finn would have had to ask critical questions about his decisions. Not least about his goalkeeping tactics and the interaction with designated number 1 Adam Reideborn and Philip Wüthrich. The appearance of the Finnish successful coach and Champions League winner would have suffered a dent.

But Tapola, Wüthrich, whose efforts were previously supported by 81 percent in the Blick vote, and the SCB scored a direct hit. 3-0 win against EVZ and secured the decisive Game 7. Bingo!

The pressure has now decreased somewhat. After all, an elimination in seven games against the favorite EVZ, which last missed the semi-finals in 2018, would not be a scandal. Accordingly, Tapola seems excited. “We coaches make the decisions and take responsibility for them. “Sometimes we’re right and sometimes we’re not,” he says, accompanying his remarks with sweeping, conductor-style gestures. «There is always a different opinion. And another one. And another one. How many opinions? In Bern 17,000. It’s easy to say: so and so has to play. But we have to decide it ourselves and be responsible for it. That’s more difficult.”

“We can’t have our pants full”

On Wednesday Tapola was right, as the match and the result tell us. But the series is 3:3. “I’ve been in this business long enough,” says Tapola, laughing. “I’ve made bad and good decisions. And I have always taken responsibility for it.”

In the end it was the same for both Bern and Zug: they performed well at home, but outside they struggled. SCB recently lost 1:6 and 2:6 in Zug. Now Tapola needs a fearless performance from his team in Zug. ‘We have to, otherwise we will lose. It’s a mental game: This time the Zug team still had a backdoor open because they got a second chance in Game 7. We’re not. Now the situation is the same for both.” And then the SCB coach says: “The most important thing is: we need the right underwear on Saturday.” And adds: “We can’t have our pants full.”

EVZ coach Dan Tangnes (45) tried to prevent disaster and took a time-out after 8 minutes to wake up his team. “Normally I don’t really believe in timeouts. But we needed a reset. I said, let’s win some duels. But it still took us 15 minutes. We had a terrible third start. But you also have to give the people of Bern credit for making us look bad. Then we failed to get the momentum on our side with a goal and it looked like a piece of cake for SCB after the 2-0 win.”

Tangnes: “You live for these kinds of competitions – also as a coach”

And what happens next? “The matches go back and forth,” says the Norwegian, laughing and hoping that it will be his team’s turn again on Saturday. He is already looking forward to Saturday. “Now it’s time for the crunch. You live for these kinds of matches – even as a coach. This is what you dream about as a boy. When you’re struggling in summer training or playing qualifying match number 26, you hope you can play games like that. It may sound masochistic: these moments give you the sensation you live for. To win it, you have to play it.”

Tangnes released his team on Thursday. “They need to spend time with people who give them a lot of energy and stay away from others.” He also knows: Saturday’s Game 7 will mainly be decided in the head. “You have to love this atmosphere, but also be willing to take responsibility.”

Source : Blick