Erik Botheim: Norway’s latest prolific goalscorer

The last round of European fixtures brought one of the most shocking results of the season so far. An AS Roma side led by the legendary Jose Mourinho fell to a humiliating 6-1 defeat in the UEFA Europa Conference League to FK Bodø/Glimt from the Eliteserien.

The defeat was the Special One’s heaviest loss in the history of his sensational career which spans over 1,000 matches. The Norwegian side were utterly sumptuous on the day but one of the key instigators of the conquering of Roma was 21-year-old centre-forward Erik Botheim.

Botheim made his senior debut as a 15-year-old for Lyn before applying his trade with Rosenborg for four seasons, including a loan spell at Stabæk before eventually moving to the small town of Bodø in Norway.

The centre-forward has undoubtedly set his sights on a future international first-team call-up, having been with the youth set-up since U-15s, and if he continues with his impressive performances, his dream could become a reality very soon.

This tactical analysis article will be a scout report of Botheim. It will be an analysis of the player’s strengths and weaknesses as well as where he fits into his team’s tactics.

Player profile

Botheim is a nice height for a centre-forward, standing at 5ft 11, or 180cm. As the player is 21, there is unlikely to be any more growth in terms of his overall stature and so this will remain a constant for the rest of his career.

He is also quite a lean player, weighing in at 70kg (154lbs or roughly 11st). He does not possess immense physicality or have an imposing stereotypical target man figure but Botheim doesn’t get shrugged off the ball too easily either and can still hold his own when playing with his back to goal.