Football Season Guide

Brann were just relentless and brilliant throughout last season and had the best-ever campaign of a newly promoted side, finishing second and running champions Bodø/Glimt close by the end. They have actually won 45 games across the last two seasons and this habit of winning so many games has garnered a lot of confidence in Eirik Horneland's men and made them more than the sum of their parts. Brann's squad is pretty much unchanged compared to last season as they have been the side with the least off-season transfer action. Frderik Børsting is not an insignificant player to lose but he is hardly irreplaceable and there are good options to pick in the final third besides him. The main aim for Horneland will be to manage the expectations of the fans, who are now dreaming of reality going for the title and being a major competitor for honours in the coming season. And while this is certainly achievable and not far-fetched, there is a new level of scrutiny aimed at this Brann squad and the players need to adjust and make sure that they remain as consistent, driven and prolific going forward. The likes of Bard Finne and Niklas Castro will be vital for setting the tone up front while Sivert Hiltne Nielsen will be expected to be setting the tempo and leading the team from midfield again. This Brann side is going upward fast and will be once again a major threat to the top teams but one has to be wary that there are not too many spectacular players in this squad and this level of overachievement from them is not sustainable in the long term, regardless of how well Horneland is coaching them.