Glimt kept up their perfect record in the 2020 Eliteserien with an eighth successive win, this time overcoming Kristiansund 2-1 in a tight contest. Glimt characteristically dominated the game with 75% possession but struggled to create chances against Kristiansund’s organised low block. It took an unbelievable goal in the 82nd minute to win the game, with 27-year-old centre back Marius Lode scoring his first ever professional goal with a long distance strike into the top right corner.
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
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Norwegian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 24/11/1997
- Current Club: FK Bodø/Glimt
- Career: FK Bodø/Glimt
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Berg embodies this Glimt team so well and is, in many ways, the heartbeat at the base of the midfield. His composure in possession and ability to pick the right pass with consistent accuracy is integral to Glimt’s approach. He wore the captain’s armband and led by example, scoring the equalising goal with a tap-in at the back post after following in a corner.
The key to his ball progression is a combination of the speed of thought to see the pass early and an ability to execute it successfully. He is very efficient in possession, moving the ball on quickly with minimal touches to set the tempo of the match. His passing variation is impressive, displaying an ability to switch the play with measured passes out wide and progress the ball through the midfield with accurate line-breaking passes to feet.
His ability to process the game quickly also allows him to provide defensive support and break up play without having to use physicality. He is 5’9 and does not possess great strength but he is intelligent enough to take a step back from his opponent and give himself space to read the game. This will often result in him stepping in quickly to collect loose balls or heavy touches before recycling possession with minimal fuss.
His positioning is very important when holding back to allow the attacking players to flourish. He will also cover wide positions when the full-backs have pushed on into advanced areas to protect against the counter attack. He knows how to position himself in attacking moves, often holding his run on the edge of the box and finding space to either receive a cut-back or collect a loose ball and look to get a shot on goal.
Rating – A1
Berg does his job with such consistent excellence that it can feel like a given and therefore go under the radar. He is so good to watch at the moment, as are Glimt as a whole, and bigger clubs will no doubt be starting to take notice of an extremely talented player.
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Norwegian
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 21/08/1998
- Current Club: FK Bodø/Glimt
- Career: FK Bodø/Glimt
- Position: Left Back
- Preferred foot: Left
Bjørkan provided a good attacking threat down the left side, making driving runs infield and exploiting the space left by Kristiansund sitting deep. He would frequently make these inverted runs, which was effective in dragging defenders out of position, and he would then look to play a reverse pass for the striker into the space that had been created.
He was very direct with his dribbling and has good speed with the ball at his feet but he needs to be more agile and work on his close control. He would drive into great positions in and around the box but would too often overrun the ball or run straight into challenges. Glimt rely heavily on their wide players to build attacks and Bjørkan is integral to this with his overlapping and underlapping support runs.
He is aggressive and combative in defensive duels but can be slightly rash in trying to win the ball back high up the pitch. For the most part, however, he timed his tackles well in this match. His attacking style of play comes with the risk of being caught out of position in possession turnovers but he has the pace to recover lost ground as well as the covering support of teammates when he has pushed on.
Rating – A2
Another of the Glimt academy graduates shining this season, his attacking contribution is so important to the way this team plays and a higher level club searching for a hard-working, marauding left wing-back would do well to look his way.
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Norwegian
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 13/07/2002
- Current Club: FK Bodø/Glimt
- Career: Tromsdalen UIL, FK Bodø/Glimt
- Position: Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Tounekti was making his debut for Glimt and struggled to impact the game from the left wing before being substituted early in the second half for the more direct and physical style of Victor Boniface. He showed flashes of quality with skilful close control and clever passing interplay but was not able to assert himself for extended periods of play.
He looked to be growing in confidence with each touch but needed to be more direct when receiving the ball. He was dangerous when cutting inside onto his stronger right foot but he did not look to take people on enough, often opting for short backward passes when receiving the ball in wide positions.
There were a few reasons for this, with Kristiansund’s compact shape leaving no space to work the ball into and Glimt preferring to retain possession and build patiently from the back, so this was understandable and not reason for heavy criticism. However, they also look to their wingers to take players on and create chances and, whilst we saw flashes of his dribbling ability, he was not direct enough with the ball at his feet to create opportunities.
Rating – B2
Tounekti is in a good position to get first-team minutes in a quality team and it will be interesting to how he improves and develops over the course of the season.
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