Football Season Guide

Bodø/Glimt begin the season as vice-champions instead of champions for just the second time in the last six years after they failed to get the better of a superb Viking side in a close-run race until the final round last year. Still, they hardly played a poor campaign and deserve a lot of credit for the way they clawed their way back in contention after some poor results in the first month or two, overcoming a 12-point deficit to take the lead at some point. They now start with renewed sense of drive and hunger to get that crown back on their head, looking to affirm again their status as the best team in the league. They are currently in the midst of a historic run in European competitions, pulling off wins over Man City, Atletico Madrid and Inter in the space of just a month, and have another Champions League knockout tie coming up soon. This is taking over pretty much all their focus right now and the league will certainly take a bit of a back seat for the opening few weeks. Yet the depth in the squad is such that they can easily get some wins early on while playing with a second-string 11. The squad is mostly unchanged since last season as only a couple of back-up players have moved on during the close season and no additions have been made so far. The fact that there was not even speculation or pressure to sell any of the actually key performers in the squad signifies the level that Bodø have reached now where they are financially so powerfully and their pull is so strong that they can pretty much keep their team together despite a whole host of richer, more famous clubs wanting their stars. The level of synchronicity and understanding between the players is so impressive at the moment that they can maintain an absurdly high level of performances while not being that switched on every week. That guarantees them a set of number of points as a floor and it will be the games against their main competitors, Viking, Brann, Molde and Rosenborg, where the title is likely to be won or lost. The chances are that Bodø finish top of the standings given their pedigree and depth but it is certainly not a foregone conclusion and it remains to be seen if the motivation in the camp can be maintained once the European run eventually ends.