Football Season Guide

Viking had a massively disappointing season last year as they fell way behind in the second half of the campaign after a very promising opening stage and by the end could not wait for the season to end, winning just once in the final 14 games and looking very much disengaged by the end. They now start the new campaign with lots of motivation to make up for the missed opportunities and determined to be more consistent and solid across the board. Bjarne Aarsheim is a man under pressure after the way the last season ended and the manager will want to see a strong start and some good wins under the belt to change the mood around the place. The squad does look refreshed after the additions of a few new faces, including Aussie striker Nick D'Agostino and young full-back Jost Urbancic. Bringing in Lars-Jorge Salvesen as the likely new focal point up front is an interesting move as well as he is capable of some pretty prolific runs and may well make the team move on from the loss of Veton Berisha last summer. None of the key players in the squad have left during the off-season, with mostly back-ups moving to new clubs and there is a feeling that the Viking squad has been enhanced and seems more competitive in some areas right now. The main concern right now is whether the midfield can hold their own and be competitive given that Kristoffer Løkberg is starting to show signs of ageing while Harald Tangen very much stalled last season after a breakout 2021. As a whole, Viking have the look of a pretty solid and competitive side that should be one of the stronger ones in the league but there are also question marks over a few too many areas right now and whether some key plaeyr will be able to rediscover their best form.