In a very entertaining match in the Icelandic Besta Deildin Keflavík and Stjarnan FC split the points. Stjarnan lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with a single defensive midfielder, where Kevlavík played a 4-2-3-1 with a double pivot in midfield. Both teams needed a bit of time to get in the game but after a while it was a very open game with chances on both ends, which ended in 2-2.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Eggert Aron Gudmundsson
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Icelandic
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 08/02/2004
- Current club: Stjarnan FC
- Career: Stjarnan FC
- Position: Attacking Midfielder
- Secondary Position: Centre Midfielder
- Preferred foot: Right
Eggert Aron Gudmundsson really caught my eye during this match. The 18-year-old played as the right central midfielder for Stjarnan and put in an impressive shift. Despite a couple of sloppy mistakes Gudmundsson showed a lot of really good things against Keflavík. The youngster doesn’t have a very impressive physical presence. I would estimate that he is around 170cm tall, since I couldn’t find any data of it online, and he simply lacked some strength in some of the physical duels. With his agility and good balance this didn’t happen that often though. Most of the times he was able to keep some space between himself and his opponent, also showcasing some good acceleration on the first meters.
With the ball at his feet Gudmundsson was pretty much on another level than most of the players on the pitch. He showed some phenomenal first touches and was easily able to receive the ball in tight spaces, quickly turning away from his opponent. Below was one of the moments where he easily turns away from a pressing opponent, then easily beats another opponent before playing a simple pass to a teammate with the outside of the boot.
Gudmundsson made a couple of really nice dribbles throughout the match, keeping the ball very close to him and still being able to skip past an opponent with a burst of pace. The 18-year-old also had two shooting opportunities. His first shot from around 20 meters hit the post and his second shot from the edge of the box was saved by the goalkeeper. I hoped to see more of him on the ball but Stjarnan often opted to play it long out of the back instead of trying to play shorter in the build-up.
Gudmundsson’s passing range seemed a bit limited this match. His short passes were fine, but the few times he tried a long ball it seemed to miss power or direction. Also later on in the match, he started making unforced errors more than before, which could be because of his concentration dropping or just because he started to get tired. He worked very hard against Keflavík, so the latter option wouldn’t be strange.
Rating – A1
Eggert Aron Gudmundsson should be on the radar of many Scandinavian clubs. The Icelandic youngster trained with FC Copenhagen and played some friendly matches with their U19 squad last winter. Currently, Copenhagen might be a step too far, but there should be enough clubs where he could get enough playtime and develop better than in Iceland.
Ísak Andri Sigurgeirsson
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Icelandic
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 11/09/2003
- Current club:
- Career: Stjarnan FC, ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar (Loan)
- Position: Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Ísak Andri Sigurgeirsson played as the left winger in Stjarnan’s 4-3-3 and played a good game overall. Sigurgeirsson needed some time to get his footing in the game and wasn’t really involved a lot in the first 20 minutes or so, but later in the game he was an absolute menace for the Keflavík defenders at times. Standing at around 175cm with quite an athletic build Sigurgeirsson has some good physical qualities. He has the explosiveness to burst past his opponents and at the same time enough body to stay on his feet in physical duels against the stronger defenders he faced.
The winger provided his side with plenty of with on the left, staying quite close to the sideline most times but when he received the ball he most often tried to cut inside to his right foot. He showed that he was capable of beating his opponent around on the outside though and put in a few dangerous crosses in with his weaker left foot. What bothered me a bit though was that he often overcomplicated things. He sometimes tried to cut inside when there was really no space to do so, losing possession, or would play a very difficult pass instead of keeping possession. I really like players who play with a lot of confidence, like him, but there must be a bit more balance in the decisions that he makes.
It’s understandable that he has a lot of confidence on the ball. His dribbling in tight spaces was great and he beat opponents with ease. In the 40th minute he scored the second goal for Stjarnan. After a big error from Keflavík’s goalkeeper, who let go of a loose ball, Sigurgeirsson dribbled into the box, kept his cool and slotted the ball in the far corner. Later on in the match he had another huge chance, where he beat an opponent in the box but his shot towards the far corner was saved.
Rating – A2
Ísak Andri Sigurgeirsson has something special about him and with the right coaching, he could become a very solid winger. I can definitely see him making a nice move to a different Scandinavian league.
Óli Valur Ómarsson
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Icelandic
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 09/01/2003
- Current club: Stjarnan FC
- Career: Stjarnan FC
- Position: Right Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Óli Valur Ómarsson played as right back for Stjarnan and mainly impressed me with his immense work rate. Ómarsson was constantly making runs forward and would make overlapping runs down the line or stay a bit more narrow. With Keflavík’s left winger Kian Williams playing very narrow there was plenty of space for Ómarsson. As a result of this, he also didn’t really feature in a lot of defensive duels, so it’s hard to judge his defensive abilities based on this game. The 19-year-old is around the same height as Sigurgeirsson with what looked like an average build. He didn’t look like a super explosive player but was able to get past an opponent with a burst of pace.
On the ball he didn’t take a lot of risk on his own half, keeping most of his passing quite simple. Sometimes he would dribble to beat an opponent, with mixed success. He has decent technique but sometimes took a touch a bit too heavy. In the final third he put in a few crosses which were quite good. Stjarnan’s first goal came from one of his crosses which wasn’t cleared well by Keflavík.
Rating – A2
Óli Valur Ómarsson mainly impressed me with his work rate and the amount of ground he covered. But to fully judge him on the ball and defensively I would have to see some more of him.