Football Season Guide

Sandefjord played some impressive football on their way to securing safety last season and definitely defied lots of expectations by staying up with a very limited squad. However, it is a start of a new era for the modest club from the Oslo outskirts as they waved goodbye to inspirational Spanish manager Marti Cifuentes, who was the catalyst of their success against the odds with his confident and brave attacking football. Hans Erik Ødegaard and Andreas Tegrström take over as dual head-coaches and the club are hoping that they make it a smooth transition, given that they both used to play for the club and know what it is all about. They both forged reputations as good youth coaches but have relatively little experience with first-team management and face the tough task of following up from the Spaniard. Yet, they seem to have belief and desire to do well even if they the team are up against it in the battle to stay up. The loss of some of the main creative players in the team in Rufo, Deyver Vega and Emil Palsson will be tough to overcome but the hopes are that the winter signings will prove a hit and maintain the level of the squad that will be sufficient to keep them afloat. Amer Ordagic is a good signing in midfield and Andre Sodlund is a decent player on the wing but the lack of attacking prowess and depth is a real problem for this squad and Sandefjord very much look like the prohibitive relegation favourite at the start of the season.