Football Season Guide

Sarpsborg had a pretty frustrating season last year in which they often seemed like a side that tis capable of ,achy more than they are showing. The defensive vulnerabilities and lack of discipline dogged them on too many occasions over the course of the year and even after a managerial change at the halfway point, they remained a side of fists and starts and not one that is capable of getting on an extended run of solid result. Martin Foyston arrived with a lot of promise in August but the Englishman never convinced fully and then wasted the great opportunity to secure trophy and European football in the Cup final, losing to second-division champions Lillestrøm 3:1. That defeat spelled the end for Foyston after just four months and now the club turned into an inexperienced but promising coach in Evan Sel as the man to lead them forward. He has no real experience in club football management but did make a name for himself lately with the various Norway under-age teams. Hiring him is certainly a risk by the club as a poor start may quickly undermine the confidence of the squad and there will have to be more changes made as the season goes on. Yet they seem to believe in Sel's managerial talent and will hope that the bet pays off and Sarpsborg become more like the team that they aspire to be - attacking, care-free and always ready to entertain their fans. They certainly do have some excellent attackers, with Daniel Karsbakk having a career year last season up front, while Frederik Carstensen, Victor Halvorsen and new signing Noa Williams from Konsvinger can be impactful from wide and number 10 areas. They addressed their bigger deficiency, the defence, by bringing in a solid and reliable defender in Sigurd Rosted back from the MLS and he can form an excellent pair with Bjorn Utvik. The full-back areas do loo lighter in terms of experience and quality while more depth may be needed in central midfield too. Yet the bones of a very respectable mid-table side are there at the moment and it will be quite intriguing to see a fresh managerial face try to crack the Eliteserien this season and make this team once again a major threat for the big guns at the top end of the standings.