FH Hafnarfjördur defeated Keflavík ÍF 3-2 in matchday 17 visiting the HS Orku völlurinn. In the victory, manager Heimir Gudjónsson ran a 3-4-3 to utilize width and long passing with a direct buildup style. Hafnarfjördur is among the most exciting high-scoring clubs to watch this season in Besta deild karla. The drama from this match was a great example of that.
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
Vuk Oskar Dimitrijevic
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Iceland, Serbia
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 28/02/2001
- Club: FH Hafnarfjördur
- Career: Leiknir
- Position: Left Winger
- Secondary Position: Right Winger, Center Forward
- Preferred foot: Both
Vuk Oskar Dimitrijevic is an Icelandic-Serbian dual national that had a stellar performance in 75 minutes including an assist, now with five on the season. He is tall for a winger with a lean build, using long strides to glide smoothly up the flank wide or inside. Dimitrijevic showed a composed mindset balanced with fine decision-making.
Off ball, his attacking ability came on angled runs from out wide in transition and more often flashing short to receive in the buildup. From there, Dimitrijevic used his technical dribbling to cut inside or skill past his marker on the outside. In these 1v1 take-ons, his silky dribbling combined with long strides and two-footedness allowed him to win with consistency. Afterward, his sound decisions to pass quickly and threat on both feet allowed him to create reliably with volume. On multiple occasions he put in low crosses with his left accurately into the middle of the box and was able to time passes through to progress frequently. His vision and accuracy in his distribution was another highlight of his threat from the wing. To combine all these attacking traits, Dimitrijevic perfectly timed a bent run into the box from the left wing with a burst of pace to receive through and quickly deliver a lefty cutback pass into the middle of the box for a lovely assist. His performance on ball as a passer and dribbler displayed an elite playmaker for the level.
Despite his terrific match as a playmaker, Dimitrijevic did not offer much in terms of finishing, though he has two goals on the season already—will have to see more in that area and his box presence to create here is a nice sign. Defensively, there is nothing to write home about from him, but he tracked back as cover on the wing in this match and put in decent work pressuring.
Rating – A1
Dimitrijevic certainly has the ability, based on this performance, to slot into a squad in a better Nordic league immediately. He is technically astute on ball with inspiring creativity and tactically intelligent off ball movement. These traits and his athleticism make him a safe bet on the wing at a higher level.
Logi Hrafn Róbertsson
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Iceland
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 22/07/2004
- Club: FH Hafnarfjördur
- Position: Defensive Midfielder
- Secondary Position: Center Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Logi Hrafn Róbertsson is a 187 cm product of the academy who played 75 minutes before being subbed off. He played as a 6 in a double pivot across a midfield four, using his broad, mature frame in the middle of the pitch. Róbertsson was a physical presence in the base of midfield, embracing his impressive physique for his age. Additionally, he displayed significant work ethic and persistence operating within his own and middle thirds despite his lumbering pace.
This was among Róbertsson’s less impressive matches on the season. His closeouts in 1v1 situations were consistent to add pressure, but at times not quick enough. When coming up to pressure, he was prone to fouling, and that led to a yellow card in a stand tackle during the high press. His off ball effort defensively was a bit better, sticking to his midfield line from the midline down to protect the back line and box. Róbertsson was also quick to react and collect loose balls from his area to reclaim possession. His aerial ability was not challenged enough in this match to come to a conclusion, losing a duel, though jumping up for it competitively.
With distribution, that was his main contribution to his club’s attack. He came short between forwards to receive and link play early in the buildup often, standing out as a key piece. Róbertsson did relatively well in his decision-making under pressure, delivering snappy back passes even with his weak foot and occasionally turning to spread play forward or wing ward. This was poorly demonstrated during a heavy touch in linkup play that led directly to a goal to split the lead in half.
Rating – A2
Though this performance alone would warrant a B2, Róbertsson is a prospect I have had my eye on that shines with an impressive physique and vision to progress possession from deep in midfield. His rash defending needs to be improved upon, but there are a few traits of note that a club in Norway or Sweden could look to develop.
Haraldur Einar Ásgrímsson
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Iceland
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 16/06/2000
- Club: FH Hafnarfjördur
- Career: Fram Reykjavík, Úlfarnir (Loan), Álftanes (Loan)
- Position: Left Wingback
- Preferred foot: Left
Haraldur Einar Ásgrímsson is an above average height with muscular frame left wingback that played all 90 minutes against Keflavík. He’s an average athlete with a poor defensive work rate for his position but offers positives in other areas of his game.
Beginning with his attacking output, Ásgrímsson was creative with his left foot and brought top accuracy on crosses along with it. He was technical on ball, allowing him to make up for his lack of pace by using skill to win in 1v1s and create space for himself to distribute. His range of distribution was wide and was still consistent under pressure. Ásgrímsson’s strength in dealing with pressure made him a key creator from the wing to swing in crosses and progress on the ground. He timed passes through well and made the overlapping wing area his, one even leading to a hockey assist. As he reached the final third, his support became more inverted and involved himself more on the edge of the box. His technique in tight areas made Ásgrímsson a nice option to support in the middle channel in that phase of the pitch. In addition, his ability to spot passes either through the air or on the ground to switch play from flank to flank was a welcome tempo setter for Hafnarfjördur. Along with his general prowess as a crosser, that translated into terrific set piece deliveries into and around the box.
Defensively, Ásgrímsson did not work hard enough to recover down the wing and his marking/attentiveness could have been a bit more focused. When defending on ball, his lack of athleticism held him back while his defensive technique was not on par with his attacking. Ásgrímsson did manage to position himself well for blocks, but that was his main contribution in defensive actions. His efforts on clearances left something to be desired. He played within himself and the lack of aggression defending the wing nearly made him a liability.
Rating – B1
Ásgrímsson’s performance under pressure as a crossing playmaker in the middle and final thirds exemplified what his vision and distribution range can offer. What he lacked as an athlete and defender was nearly made up for by this. He does not quite have the traits or the time to develop that would allow him to reach new heights, but Ásgrímsson certainly has the potential to continue as a valuable starter in Besta deild karla for his career as a wingback or wide midfielder (could even try his foot as an 8).
Ástbjörn Thórdarson
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Iceland
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 26/07/1999
- Club: FH Hafnarfjördur
- Career: KR Reykjavík, ÍA Akranes (Loan), UMF Víkingur Ólafsvík (Loan), Grótta (Loan), Keflavík ÍF
- Position: Right Wingback
- Preferred foot: Right
Ástbjörn Thórdarson is a right wingback that started and completed the match for his club. He has an average height and build with above average athleticism running up and down the wing. That paired with an admirable work rate led to a decent performance with a solid contribution to victory against his former club.
Thórdarson’s powerful finishing on his dominant right foot was a standout trait for him on the attack. He did not score, but the goal threat when getting in and around the box was there, a unique aspect for a player of his position. Other aspects on ball included decent yet inconsistent ability to beat his marker with skill on the wing combined with inconsistent crossing from wide. His solo runs to progress play post receiving in stride on his overlapping runs were done with confident dribbling to reach the final third. Thórdarson is just not the most technical of dribblers for a wing back that prefers to beat his marker with skill rather than pace. Due to his preference of using dribbling to beat markers, drawing fouls was a notable part of his game. When distributing on the ground, he was a bit better than on his crossing, but it still was not the most reliable and the decision-making/succumbing to pressure needs to be worked on. Off ball, his overlapping runs in support to provide creation from wide was his best attribute, albeit quite a tactical one. Decent runs and subpar wing distribution sum up his contribution on attack.
Defensively, Thórdarson was quite average and somewhat inconsistent. His hustle contributed to a nice volume of defensive contributions and timely retreats into defense along with being ready to cover. He had multiple blocks in this contest and positioned his body well in front of his marker. Thórdarson’s pursuit in 1v1s led to him lunging past his marker at times, but when he broke down well, he was able to win stand tackles cleanly. His physicality in duels was nice, too, though he was late to get into his own third in recoveries due to his not spectacular pace, in turn allowing a bit too much space for crosses. The inconsistent defensive output and athletic deficiencies did not quite make him a liability there, though Thórdarson was a much better attacker in comparison.
Rating – B1
Thórdarson is an average yet inconsistent defender as a wingback that does his best work in support as an attacker delivering a volume of crosses. This is good enough to be a weekly starter in Besta deild karla, but at 24, do not expect him to make it much higher than this. He will carve out a decent career for himself domestically.