Football Season Guide

Lillestrøm were quite brilliant last season as they mounted a challenge for the top places despite coming in as newcomers, wowing their fans with some brilliantly exciting football and providing a breadth of fresh air. It was indeed a campaign that will live long in memory but the task for Geir Bakke and his players this campaign will be to at least try to match the heroics from last season and that is definitely going to be a challenge. Having lost the leader of the team and best player in the league last season in experienced Thomas Lenhe Olsen, the big question mark for Bakke is who will replace his goals. Holmbert Fridjonsson arrived from German side Holstein Kiel as the apparent replacement and the hopes are that indeed the Iceland forward gets going and settles into the system the team perfected. They made a few other good signings in the winter transfer window in Yildren Ibrahimaj, Frederik Holst and Colin Rosler and all of them indeed have the quality to become fixtures in the starting 11 and contribute. Ibrahimaj was excellent at Viking two years ago and can be a very valuable player at this level, while players like Magnus Knudsen and Eskil Edh will look to build on their breakout seasons and be valuable squad members again. Therefore, Lillestrøm's squad looks pretty much ready to challenge at the top end of the table again and, while going so close to the top sides may be beside them, they certainly are in a good position to get into the top six as their transformation under Bakke in the last few years continues.