Konstantin Vassiljev appointed new head coach of Flora Tallinn
Estonian Meistriliiga side FC Flora Tallinn announced on Monday that Konstantin Vassiljev will take over as the club's new head coach. Vassiljev, who made his last appearance as a professional for Flora earlier this month, won 158 caps for Estonia during a career than spanned more than two decades.
"For the last five or six years, I have been preparing for the day when I finished my career, because I knew I wanted to continue in football for sure," said Vassiljev.
"During that time, I was talking with FC Flora's management hypothetically about a coaching role, and this option has come up. In the end, everything happened very quickly and the club has decided to give me a chance as head coach. It was not a difficult decision for me," said the 40-year-old, who retired from playing at the end of the 2024 season.
Vassiljev admitted that while the job is an exciting one, it also comes with high expectations. "It's a big responsibility, I understand that. At the same time, there's no way to be fully ready for the challenge because even the top coaches change clubs from time to time. You always have to start somewhere," he said.
"If you are offered the opportunity to coach FC Flora's first team, then of course you have to take it. At the moment, I don't want to make any declarations – we'll start building the team for the new season and then proceed according to plan. We definitely have to be competitive and fight for the championship title," said Vassiljev.
FC Flora's men's first team squad will start preparing for the 2025 Meistriliiga season under Vassiljev's guidance in early January, though some of the players will already get together in December. Vassiljev confirmed that FC Flora's core squad will remain the same as last season.
"The initial list of players [we have] is long. At the moment, there are question marks over some players, but by the time preparations start, everything will be clear," he said.
"Our style of play for the new season will depend a lot on the strengths of the players, and that will form the basis of our game plan. It is up to the coaches to establish the basic principles and make sure there is good rapport within the team."
FC Flora's current head coach Taavi Viik, who took over from Jürgen Henn when he joined the Estonian men's national team, will continue at the club in a different role.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste, Michael Cole
