AaB came up against league leaders Midtjylland in this game. They lined up in a 4-3-3 formation against a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 from Midtjylland. They struggled to create anything clear cut when it came to goal scoring opportunities as their opponents controlled most aspects of the game. AaB did threaten on some occasions but never for a prolonged period and they played a lot of their football in front of Midtjylland’s defence.
Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Oliver Klitten
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Danish
- Age: 20
- Date of Birth: 1/5/2000
- Current Club: Aalborg BK
- Career: Aalborg BK
- Position: Left Winger
- Preferred Foot: Right
Klitten played this game on the left wing before being replaced in the 67th minute and he struggled to make much of an impact in the game. At 5’11” Klitten was more than happy to challenge for aerial balls and he was committed in going for the ball and wasn’t afraid to take a hit if it came to it.
Off the ball Klitten made a few good runs into the box and was able to get into some could areas and cause one or two problems for the defence, he was also able to come to feet and get the ball before turning and attempting a dribble. He wasn’t the most natural dribbler, he sometimes seemed a little uncomfortable on the ball especially when he was under some pressure. He was reluctant to use his weaker foot and tried to avoid it sometimes to a detrimental effect and he was also reluctant to attempt more expansive passes at times at times, when an obvious pass wasn’t available he appeared to struggle, he preferred to try and keep the ball by playing short or by dribbling.
Klitten showed that he was a willing presser in the final third, he often would put pressure on defenders to make them release the ball early but he often found himself pressing on his own. So his pressing was redundant when the next man wasn’t pressing with him and the opposition had time to play again. Whether it was a tactical move to press less or not, it meant that Klitten was often out of position in the defensive shape or wasn’t available to help out defensively on the left side of the pitch.
He was able to get himself into some good attacking positions both with and without the ball but he often lacked the urgency or intensity to create anything from such situations as he wasn’t quick enough on either sides of the ball. His first touch tended to be quite good and he more often than not looked to be positive with it by pushing it past a defender but a lack of acceleration and pace meant he struggled to get past opposition players using this.
Rating – C
Iver Fossum
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Norweigan
- Age: 23
- Date of Birth: 15/7/1996
- Current Club: Aalborg BK
- Career: Stromsgodset IF, Hannover 96, Aalborg BK
- Position: Central Midfield
- Preferred Foot: Right
Fossum was on of AaB’s 3 central midfielders, he was keen to get involved in physical battles, he was quick across the turf and was able to get his body in between man and ball. He worked hard to try and win back possession for his team and at 5’11” he was competitive in the air.
At times, Fossum worked well with Klitten on the left side. Their movements worked to allow Fossum to burst in behind the full back into space and receive the ball behind the defence. Fossum was able to run in behind the defence and receive the ball in dangerous spaces a number of times during the match, down the middle and right hand side as well. His running from deep was one of the only things that proved to be a consistent threat for AaB. The timing of his runs was good as he was able to beat the offside trap and accelerate away from chasing defenders, and when he got into positions behind the defence he was able to deliver some good quality balls into dangerous areas on some occasions, but not always.
After his forward runs, Fossum would sometimes find himself as the most advanced AaB player which left him out of position but he was able to recover his position quickly and he was important in helping the AaB midfield 3 maintain a solid shape in midfield. They were a narrow, compact unit and were able to prevent the Midtjylland central midfielders from getting on the ball for a lot of the game, they were very difficult to play through. Being so narrow meant they were played past out wide at times which is where a lot of their defensive problems came from in the end.
His good acceleration and pace made him a good presser in midfield and he helped to encourage his team to press higher as the game progressed to put the opposition under some more pressure than they had been. He was able to find space between lines and was difficult to pick up at times as he was always on the move and picked up positions across the pitch.
Fossum’s passing was pretty poor, and he was unable to find his target with a lot of his passes despite playing mainly short passes, he lost possession a number of times which wasn’t helpful in a game where AaB struggled to assert much influence.
Rating – B2
Mathias Ross Jensen
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Danish
- Age: 19
- Date of Birth: 15/1/2001
- Current Club: Aalborg BK
- Career: Aalborg BK
- Position: Centre Back
- Preferred Foot: Right
Jensen started his tenth league game of the season in this game at centre back. He had a quiet game for the most part, despite Midtjylland controlling much of the game, he could do little about either of the goals and a lot of their threat came from wide areas. At 6’2″ Jensen was strong in the air, he challenged for a lot of balls and made some important interventions to prevent goal scoring opportunities.
Jensen’s passing from the back was mostly good throughout the game. He was able to play some good long balls to the striker and a couple of good diagonal passes to wingers that were hit accurately and with good pace and angle to reach the player quickly. He was comfortable receiving the ball from midfield, he had quite good feet and close control and he was able to pass into his midfielders well and break lines with vertical passes as the game progressed.
His positional sense was good during the game too, he marked the forward players effectively and didn’t allow them much space, he would sometimes lose a player that was playing off the back of him but it didn’t really cause him any problems. He did a decent job of stepping out of the defensive line to meet attackers and put them under pressure or tackle them, whilst his defensive partner would put on cover. However, if he was beaten when stepping up then he struggled to recover, he lacked the agility and quickness to recover and get back in position before the space could be exploited.
His lack of pace and acceleration made his movements seem laboured both on and off the ball, AaB were quite deep for a lot of the game so he wasn’t really tested in behind but he was sometimes slow to react to situations and balls into the box.
Rating – B2
Target Scouting 