Currently, at the top of the first Norwegian football league (Eliteserien), FK Bodø/Glimt is attempting to reclaim this trophy for their hometown after finishing behind Molde last season.
Kjetil Knutsen, Bodø/Glimt‘s head coach, promoted them in 2017, avoided relegation in 2018, and won the league twice in a row (in 2020 and 2021).
He was and still is considered the leading man responsible for this Norwegian side’s surprising rebirth.
With some critical departures from their squad, like Ola Solbakken to José Mourinho‘s AS Roma or even Erik Botheim to Krasnodar (who transferred to Serie A side Salernitana this season), Knutsen had to sort this challenge out, and it seems that he was successful in doing so, since they are the top of Elitrserien again.
In his sixth season as head coach of Bodø, his team is still unbeaten in the domestic league with 10 victories and one draw after 11 games played.
They have an outstanding goal difference with 32 goals scored and just nine losses.
However, this year’s European campaign wasn’t as great as last season’s, when they reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference league.
Although Bodø is the top-valued team in Eliteserien, with a squad valuation of 28.35 m euros, they are still far from the majority of European clubs in terms of their squad’s market price.
Yet, due mainly to Kjetil’s tactical model, they are competitive in their European campaigns.
In this tactical analysis, we aim to understand some of the reasons behind Bodø’s recent dominance in Norwegian football by examining key aspects of their offensive and defensive strategies.
Kjetil Knutsen Tactics & Preferred Formation
Bodø attacks and defends in a classical and very concrete 4-3-3 formation, yet it varies during the game due to the players’ movements.
Initially, in a lower zone of the pitch, one of the fullbacks descends to initiate a three-man build-up, which resembles a 3-4-3 formation.
However, as soon as they are in possession near the opposition’s box, most of the players seem to seek depth and explore the free exterior and interior space, especially between the lines.
With that said, their formation is similar to a 2-5-3.
Defensively, they are a middle-to-high block pressing team that consistently obstructs the opposing team’s construction process in a 4-5-1 formation, which transitions into a 4-4-2 when one of the midfielders presses the centre-back with the ball.
However, they adjust their pressing to the other side’s formation during the build-up.
For instance, if they construct with three men, then Bodø presses in a 4-3-3.
With this intense pressing strategy, they increase their chances of retaining possession for most of the match, which is their primary method of hurting the opposition.
Let’s now examine our analysis in relation to Bodø’s common patterns and special features, which ensure admirable offensive and defensive practices.
Kjetil Knutsen Style Of Play – Bodø’s dominant style of playing in possession
This Norwegian side’s style of possession has two principal moments: the moment of constructing from the back, where, as we described earlier, one of the full-backs descends to the backline, forming a 3-4-3, and most importantly, the moment of having the ball near the opposition’s box, as illustrated in the heatmap below.
Bodø/Glimt Heat Map 2023
There are also a few types of interesting articulations between determined positions that can open gaps in the other defensive line.
Yet, to make that happen, patience is needed while circulating the ball, good decision-making to understand when and where the pass should be made, and making the ball arrive at the extremity of the two different flanks.
Firstly, we would like to highlight the winger-fulback link, which is one of the most common and efficient connections during the game.
Initially, as we stated, the fullback does not often play high and deep on the field, unlike the vast majority of European teams.
Instead, he is instructed to support the build-up.
The wingers are typically taking advantage of the maximum width of the pitch, even if the ball is in the opposite corridor.
However, they have the freedom to explore the space inside.
As we analysed this team, it seemed that the winger determined the fullback’s positioning.
The most common display involved the fullback performing more inside, similar to an inverted fullback, and the winger moving deeper and wider.
This kind of positioning only seems to make sense if the ball circulation is quick and fluid, forcing the opposition to extend their defensive line and opening gaps in it.
So, Knutsen appears to guide his team in that way, including interesting movements from flank players, such as wingers and fullbacks.
For instance, one successful fullback-winger articulation is illustrated below.
The winger is wide open and attracts the opposition’s fullback, opening a gap between him and the centre-back.
Then, Bodø’s left-back sees this free space and takes advantage of it.
However, as we mentioned, the winger can be slightly inside, and the fullback can attack the depth by the external side of the corridor.
The midfielders’ technical and tactical quality is noticeable, especially in players like Hugo Vetlesen and Albert Gronbaek, who together have contributed 15 goals in 14 games this season.
This is a clear sign of their offensive involvement.
Let’s examine their patterns when playing in that position.
In this team, we understand that the players, especially those in the midfield who do not have a static position, occupy the free space created by their teammates’ movements.
However, these midfielders seem to be instructed to occupy the space between the opposition’s defensive and midfield lines in a primary phase.
In fact, we can refer to these midfielders as offensive midfielders, not only because they often explore the space, but also due to their significant offensive involvement.
However, it is evident that these midfielders like to influence the game by choosing free spaces wisely, and in some cases, although less frequently, attacking the depth is a viable solution.
Picking the previous example, where the winger uses the width of the pitch and a void is created between two members of the opposition’s defensive line, the midfielder, instead of looking between the lines, can attack the depth.
The player’s move was especially clever because he understood that the space was no longer available, as the defender had ascended from the backline to mark him.
As it goes, a new space is created in the defensive line’s back, and a new opportunity to hurt the other side arises.
When these midfielders receive the ball between the lines oriented to the goal, they can be very dangerous by playing key passes or through balls into the depth.
In fact, this is one of the most common situations during the game where Gronbaek or Vetlesen lift their heads and decide if the pass is worth it.
This pass is typically intended for one of the wingers, who usually receives a diagonal inswinging cross or through-ball, especially Amahl Pellegrino, the current league top scorer with 12 goals.
It is also essential to note that the solo striker plays a vital role in these game situations, which is to draw the defenders, as he is the primary target inside the box.
Yet, the striker, a position usually played by Faris Moumbagna, is also one of the primary intended targets for these through balls, and we noticed a small but decisive detail in his positioning: he often tries not to be attracted by the ball carrier.
It seemed to us that Faris consistently and consciously adapted his positioning to the opposition’s goal, increasing his chances of scoring when attacking the space.
Furthermore, by centring his positioning with the goal, it also opens space for an eventual depth attack by one of his teammates, as shown below.
Kjetil Knutsen Pressing strategy and defensive cohesion
In contrast with the offensive process, the defensive strategy can have some tactical and intensity adjustments with an eye on the opposition’s plan.
For example, and most commonly, if the opposition builds up in a 4-3-3, it is likely that Bodø defends in a 4-5-1, where the defensive midfielder is responsible for ensuring the space between the lines.
Against league sides, and above all, when they play at home, Bodø tends to press in a high block, and they seem to have internalised some pressing indicators.
Firstly, if the other team is in a more advanced zone of the pitch and makes a back pass, Bodø immediately raises its defensive lines and increases its intensity while pressing.
Besides that, the goalkeeper is usually not pressed, and the pass to the centre-back seems to trigger the pressing moment.
Finally, the striker sometimes orients his pressing to the ball carrier’s left side to force him to use the left foot, which is commonly the weaker one.
However, this strategy was associated with a few problems, such as the fact that it can be pretty difficult for the solo pivot to cover all the space between the lines.
For instance, the opposition can have a numerical advantage in that zone if the other player does not adjust, as illustrated in the following image.
In a defensive organisation, the defensive midfielder often integrates into the defensive line in certain cross situations, especially when the fullback is forced to leave their normal positioning to mark the ball carrier.
Some European sides commonly employ this type of movement because it enhances the team’s defensive cohesion.
As we saw previously, Pellegrino is currently the player with the highest and most effective offensive impact on this Norwegian side.
However, he can be less regular and consistent in his defensive tasks.
Especially in situations where the ball is on the opposite side, Pellegrino sometimes loses track of his opponent’s position, placing his teammate in a 1v2 situation near his own goal.
This game situation can be very dangerous for Bodø’s goal, and although intensity while defending isn’t one of Pellegrino’s best characteristics, Knutsen should alert him to this kind of situation.
Conclusion
Bodø/Glimt is currently the leader of the Eliteserien 2023, and after a good start, they are well on track to win the title for the third time in just four years.
They are a team that typically likes to have the ball in an upward zone, where they can push opponents toward their own box and where the odds of scoring are higher.
That said, we considered the midfielders to be the engine for Bodø’s offensive tactics due to their constant involvement in and out of possession.
In fact, as we saw, their constant movements open space for other players to have the ball and consequently upset the other side.
Besides that, they seemed to be a team that successfully articulated their different sectors; in other words, we can see good combinations between the wingers and the fullbacks, or between the wingers and the midfielders.
This constant link-up play helps them to be a more fluid and efficient team while in possession.
In short, this scout report aims to unveil some of Kjetil Knutsen’s primary offensive weapons and the reasons behind their defensive consistency en route to reclaiming their crown.
