 It feels like only yesterday the Eliteserien resumed after the COVID-19 lockdown, but we have now already played 11 rounds... More than a 3rd of the season has been & gone. Glimt & Molde are the clear standouts and dominate the 'Team of the Year... So Far' which is why I have decided to produce two teams. One, being the true 'Team of the Year... So Far' and the other being a 'Best of the Rest XI' as I would feel fraudulent not mentioning other players outside of the Molde/Glimt bubble.
As ever, let me know what you think in the comments and send me your own Teams of the Year... So Far. I am sure they will be just as dominated by the top two clubs so far this season! by Ben Wells
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 We're delighted to welcome journalist & Serie A expert Sam Brookes onto the site. Getting people to write for your blog is a lot easier when they literally live downstairs. Sam has years of experience covering Serie A in a professional capacity & is a regular panel member on the Get Italian Football News podcast, which you can find here.
In this piece, Sam takes a look at Morten Thorsby's progression in Serie A with Sampdoria. After a tough start to life in Italy following his move from Heerenveen, it certainly looks as though Thorsby is quickly becoming a key player for the Genoa-based side. by Sam Brookes  Tactical Analysis maestro Tom Dent returns this week with a look into Strømsgodset's performances this season & how their pressing game is helping them pick up some crucial points already in 2020. However, there are still issues to be addressed by Henrik Pedersen & his team in order to avoid another battle against relegation this season.
Having already highlighted issues with Aalesund, Valerenga & Rosenborg this year, Tom takes a look at some ways this Strømsgodset side may become exposed during their intense pressing play. It's worth noting that since this piece was written, Henrik Pedersen's side picked up a crucial home win vs. Brann in the most recent midweek round, a game that highlighted both praise & concern from Tom raised in this article. by Tom Dent  Word is getting out about Bodø/Glimt. All of Europe can now see the form the Eliteserien leaders are displaying and attention on both the team and the Eliteserien in general has never been higher. We are delighted to welcome Mike Brown to the site, who will regularly be providing unparalleled insight into the workings behind Norway's most effective team.
Mike is a physio by trade but has taken on the role of Physical Coach with Glimt since the beginning of the 2019 season. In this piece, he takes behind the scenes and outlines what a regular training week is like for players & coaches. Glimt have undeniably looked on another level in terms of fitness & conditioning this season, so it's incredibly interesting to see how they put their sessions together with the end goal of gaining three points week on week. by Mike Brown  This week's Tactical Analysis sees Tom Dent tackle the issue of Rosenborg. A club in danger of losing their identity on and off the pitch as evidenced by performances in recent seasons. What are the issues the club are currently tackling and how could they go about amending these issues in order to improve results on the field in this years' Eliteserien season? Lots to consider & Tom tackles most if not all of it in this article!
by Tom Dent  It's never easy moving 18,000 km across the world to pursue your career. Now imagine doing just that but in the middle of a global pandemic that has created uncertainty around the globe. Joe Bell has settled into life in Norway seamlessly so far despite outside forces seemingly trying to make the adaptation to a new country even harder than it usually would be. We had a chat with Viking's new midfield playmaker about how he is adapting to life in Norway and got his early thoughts on playing in the Eliteserien.
by Ben Wells  After a successful debut, Tom Dent returns this week with a new piece of tactical analysis. Having picked apart Aalesund's defensive issues last time out, he now turns his attention to Valerenga.
Dag Eilev Fagermo took over the role from Ronny Deila at the start of 2020 with many expecting Valerenga under Fagermo to mimic the boss' previous Odd team tactically. However, despite some pleasing progress already early in the season, the team have also encountered a few issues that will need to be remedied by the new manager if they are able to meet expectations this year. by Tom Dent  Due to the impact of COVID-19 on football around the globe leagues and teams alike have had to adapt in order to be able to complete seasons on time. The Norwegian Eliteserien is no exception and having lost two and a half months of the 2020 season due to lockdown measures, clubs are now competing every three to four days in league fixtures in order to complete their season on time. Due to this intense schedule, a number of clubs are now experiencing injury crisis' of some sort. How are they dealing with these issues on a day to day basis? We spoke to a number of experts in the field to see how they are tackling the problem.
by Ben Wells  With many tipping Aalesund to be 'dark horses' in the Eliteserien this year, it has been surprising to see the club fail to win any of their opening 5 fixtures. At the heart of this run of poor form is a leaky defence that has now conceded 17 goals in this opening run of games.
We welcome Glimt's B-Lag trener Tom Dent to the site, who will be contributing regularly this season, to provide some analysis on Aalesund & a tactical tweak that saw them look to tighten up their defence having shipped 11 goals in their first 2 Eliteserien games. by Tom Dent |
