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Finland had never qualified for a major women’s tournament when Michael Käld took charge of the national team in 2001. Four years later they were in the UEFA WOMEN’S EURO 2005™ semi-finals, and this summer Finland made the last eight on home soil. Käld is now stepping down after 107 games in charge, the last four of which were victories in their opening 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers, and the 55-year-old, who is expected to continue to work with the Football Association of Finland in some capacity, spoke to uefa.com about his reasons for stepping down and his time in charge.

uefa.com: Why have you decided to step down?

Michael Käld: I think after nine years it was time. After EURO 2009™ some of the most experienced players retired and as Finland started to build up a new team I thought it was time for a new coach to be involved in that work. I am very proud of the results we have achieved since I was in charge and I think you have to quit at the top, when you have good memories.

uefa.com: Did you have a vision for what you wanted to achieve in charge and has it been realised?

Käld: Of course we had a vision after 2005 that we could do even better. We believed in it and worked very hard to get good results at home. We are satisfied with the result but we worked for three years for EURO 2009™, I used almost 40 players, and that’s the most important thing for Finnish women’s football. A lot of players had the chance to wear the national shirt and see what work it takes to play at the top level. At EURO 2009™ we attracted a lot of people, it was a family party. Everybody enjoyed the games and it was fantastic to see young boys and girls in the national shirt with their parents. And that’s important for the future.

uefa.com: What legacy have you left?

Käld: World Cup qualification has started well with four wins. We have taken a lot of steps and now Finland are able to win games we should win. In [2003 World Cup qualifying] when we played teams not as highly ranked we couldn’t win the games. Now we have reached a new level and these games are not any problem any more, that shows that we have taken a few steps.

uefa.com: Did you do anything differently as a coach when you took over to spark the improvement?

Käld: My style of coaching is that I always listen to my players and we talked through issues together. I make the final decision but they are clever people and I want to listen to them. Maybe that style was new in Finnish women’s football. I also said to my players that you just have to trust yourself. You can make mistakes and learn from them. The players have more confidence, they trust themselves and I think that has been one of the reasons we have reached this level.

uefa.com: What is the next step for women’s football in Finland?

Käld: The next step in club football in Finland is we get more good coaches at youth level. We have to work on it so we can develop players better than we do today. It’s all about money, of course, but the number of girls players are increasing all the time and we have to take good care of them.

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Locating the back of the net has never featured highly on the list of skills required of goalkeepers, but coaches may begin testing finishing ability before snapping up a new No1 after two keepers found the net on the same UEFA Champions League matchday for the first time last week.

Butt treble
Hans-Jörg Butt set the tone on Tuesday with a vital penalty in FC Bayern München’s 4-1 success at Juventus. Needing to win to advance, the German giants were trailing when Ivica Oli? was brought down by Martín Cáceres in the area, and with 26 Bundesliga spot-kicks under his belt, Butt strode forward to draw his team level. Incredibly, it was the second time the 35-year-old had beaten his Juve counterpart Gianluigi Buffon and the third time he had scored against the Bianconeri, having outfoxed Edwin van der Sar for Hamburger SV during a 4-4 UEFA Champions League draw in September 2000 before registering during a 3-1 success for Bayer 04 Leverkusen the next year.

New role
The following day, Sinan Bolat became the first ever custodian to hit the target in open play during a UEFA Champions League match, heading R. Standard de Liège into the UEFA Europa League with their equaliser against AZ Alkmaar five minutes into added time. “Next time we get a corner, we’ll have to send Sinan up for it,” joked team-mate Mohamed Sarr.

‘It was incredible’
The 21-year-old was following in the footsteps of Standard predecessor Gilbert Bodart, who struck from the spot against HNK Rijeka in October 1986, but his effort probably had more in common with Andrés Palop’s dramatic last-gasp leveller for Sevilla FC in a 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 16 tie with FC Shakhtar Donetsk. The holders were heading out of the competition until Palop nodded in from a corner deep into injury time. “I just copied the sort of movements I see my team-mates do in training,” he said. “It was incredible, so exciting.”

Amelia confidence
Earlier that same season, AS Livorno Calcio keeper Marco Amelia had also turned in a corner with his head to earn his club a 1-1 UEFA Cup group stage draw with FK Partizan. “I heard my team-mates screaming to go back and insulting me because there were still a few minutes left, but I told [Dario] Passoni to put in a good ball from the free-kick because I would score. And I did.” Eleven years previously in that competition, Manchester United FC legend Peter Schmeichel got his name on the scoresheet in similar fashion, in a 2-2 draw with SC Rotor Volgograd.

Ivankov benchmark
Penalties remain by far the most common means of making a difference, though, and Butt lies one strike behind the most prolific member of the goalkeepers’ union in UEFA club competition, Dimitar Ivankov, who converted four spot-kicks for PFC Levski Sofia between 1999 and 2002. The Bayern custodian can nonetheless console himself with the knowledge that he boasts one more than namesake Nicky during his long career in Europe as a midfielder with both Manchester United and Newcastle United FC. And who is to say he will not add to his tally before this season’s games are out?

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Germany’s UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finalists FCR 2001 Duisburg and 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam have gone into the Frauen-Bundesliga winter break level at the top but not all of the European last eight are having things their own way domestically.

Pair in form
Both reigning European champions Duisburg and German titleholders Potsdam had comfortable home wins on Sunday, leaving the unbeaten pair on 32 points from 12 games, eight ahead of 1. FFC Frankfurt, who have a match in hand. Potsdam are top on goal difference after a 5-1 defeat of 1. FC Saarbrücken, Anja Mittag and Fatmire Bajramaj both on target to take their respective season tallies to 13 and 11. However, FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year nominee Inka Grings looks likely to end top scorer for the third year running, and the sixth time overall, as her two goals in the 4-0 win against Hamburger SV moved her on to 20, two of which came last week in a 7-0 defeat of FC Bayern München. The season resumes in February.

Røa signing
The German rivals could meet in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals, though they do not have easy last-eight tasks on 10 and 17 March, Potsdam meeting Norwegian title-winners Røa IL and Duisburg up against Arsenal LFC. While Røa are preparing for their 2010 campaign, signing striker Kine Kvalsvik, Arsenal have been experiencing some rare defeats in England.

Arsenal losses
On 22 November the Gunners lost 2-1 at Sunderland WFC – their first away league defeat since November 2003 – and two weeks later went down by the same scoreline in the FA Women’s Premier League Cup semi-finals at Everton LFC. However, they overcame Bristol Academy WFC 8-0 on Sunday with seven different scorers and moved up to second, seven points behind Sunderland but with as many games in hand. The main threat to Arsenal are former European contenders Everton, who have also dropped only three points.

Lyon slip
Like Arsenal, the two French quarter-finalists are under pressure in their league. Olympique Lyonnais, champions for the last three years, suffered their first league loss since September 2006 when they were defeated 3-1 at FCF Hénin-Beaumont on 15 November, ending a 70-game unbeaten run. On Sunday they could have gone top when they welcomed ambitious Paris Saint-Germain FC but needed a last-minute Sandrine Brétigny equaliser to hold their visitors 1-1, leaving them a point behind the capital club. Montpellier Hérault SC are five points off the lead in fourth, having been beaten 3-1 at home by Lyon on 6 December, though did get a useful 2-0 win at FCF Nord Allier on Sunday.

Torres second
Montpellier meet Swedish runners-up Umeå IK and their new coach Joakim Blomqvist in the quarter-finals in March while Lyon are up against ASD Torres Calcio, who are two points behind UPC Tavagnacco in Italy. Torres dropped those points in a 0-0 home draw with winless AC Chiasiellis on 28 November, but have since recovered to prevail 3-0 at ASD Fiammamonza and 4-0 against ACF Venezia 1984. They have an important test on Friday in their last game before the winter break as they visit champions ASD CF Bardolino Verona, who are a point behind Torres in third.

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