Football Season Guide

Molde had a simply sensational season last year in which they completely blew away any sort of competition and ultimately walked to the title on the back of an unprecedented winning run, getting 17 wins in a row to finish 18 points clear of the chasing pack. It was as imposing and resounding as it could have been by the Blues as they earned their first title since 2020 and showed Bodø that they still have what it takes to battle for honours at the top end of Norwegian football. Now comes the defence of the title amidst strong competition from the likes of Rosenborg and Bodø but Erling Moe will be feeling confident and full of motivation to show that his men can sustain the same sort of form and keep going. The main departure of the winter was David Datro Fofana, who had a real emergence up front but was bagged by free-spending Chelsea early in January. He will be tough to replace but certainly not impossible and Molde moved in to bring Veton Berisha back to Norway as a replacement. He is as close as a guarantee to 20 goals in the Eliteserien as it could be found and, even though the club paid to dollar to sign him, it seems like a good move that should make the team even more potent going forward. He will be getting service from the likes of Sivert Mannsverk and Kristian Eriksen and looks like a good bet to claim the top scorer prize in the league. Eric Kitolano and Anders Hagelskjaer are the two other main additions to the squad and they seem like players who will provide depth and will not be immediate starters. The team looks quite strong overall in all areas right now, especially in midfield, where the aforementioned Mannnsverk and Eriksen are supplemented by excellent players like Niklas Grødem and Emil Brevik, not to forget veterans Magnus Wolff Eikrem. Therefore, Molde still look the team to beat but the main question remains as to whether they could be as consistent as they were last season given the mental drive that is needed to sustain such run of form.