Hmm… it’s a new season in my Football Manager 2019 blog save, but the title image looks a bit different to last time. Is that because…
Why, yes, it is! After spending three years trying to get out of the 2. divisjon, Lyn 1896 have finally made it into the 1. divisjon! They are now just one more promotion away from a long-awaited return to Norwegian football’s top tier – the Eliteserien.
Barely a year after almost getting sacked, manager Marit Enstad has overseen a title-winning 2021 season in the latest chapter of Lyn’s resurgence. Now she’s made some big signings to try and build on that success – and maybe inspire another promotion in 2022.
So, Marit, what exactly have you been up to?
TRANSFERS OUT
Hei, det er Marit, and things have changed quite a bit at Lyn since we broke up for the winter.
Following last year’s promotion celebrations, I’ve thought long and hard about who to take with us to the 1. divisjon – and who to cut adrift. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to some popular players who’ve been at the Bislett since the early months of my tenure.
The first player to be released was one of my few remaining ‘originals’. Right-back Eirik Bækkelund had started his career at Lyn, making 59 league appearances since his debut as a teenager in 2015. Sadly, he had not fulfilled his early promise and had recently drifted out of the first-team reckoning.
Forward Simen Vedvik and goalkeeper Knut-André Skjærstein were two signings from my first season who would not stay on for a fourth. Vedvik was one of our main men in 2019, but the 24-year-old had recently been upstaged by a Kenyan magician. Skjærstein was solid in his first year but erratic in his second before ultimately losing his starting place.
Erik Lundanes Jonvik gave us two years of solid service as a holding midfielder, but I felt he didn’t have the right mentality for the 1. divisjon. He has now rejoined his former club KFUM Oslo, who were recently relegated to the 3. divisjon. Andorra defender Marc Vales is still looking for a new team after ending a stint at Lyn that saw him make 18 league appearances.
We also said goodbye to reserve goalkeeper Peter Bergmann. The Faroe Islands Under-21s international never made a competitive appearance for Lyn but is now hoping for a breakthrough at Bærum.
And… er… that’s it for permanent departures, unless you count a load of former youth players who were never going to make the first-team. We did, though, loan out one of our hottest prospects to a former 2. divisjon rival.
I’m sure Eirik Melby will eventually establish himself as a first-team regular at the Bislett – just not this year. The 18-year-old signed a new two-season contract with us to ward off interest from bigger teams, and then he immediately went on loan to Nybergsund. It might not be an easy year at Sundet, who are being tipped for back-to-back relegations, but the experience should help build Eirik’s character.
TRANSFERS IN
Eight players came to Lyn as I rebuilt my squad for this new challenge. I mainly gambled on youth, but I also brought in a couple of more experienced guys to balance things out. Besides, we’re a football club, not a kindergarten!
Though I was happy enough with our options in central midfield, my very first signing was – in fact – a midfielder. Teenage playmaker Fredrik Sannes was an exciting prospect at Kongsvinger, but he appeared to have fallen out with the management and was available on a free transfer.
Rik – as I’m calling him for short – has a decent first touch and can pass the ball well, but it’s his maturity that impressed me most. He’s cool when making decisions, he’s consistent, and he has a fairly professional personality. When a player like him comes on the market, you have to act quickly to sign him up.
Another player with a bright future is Eivind Aalvik, who becomes our new first-choice goalkeeper aged just 19 after completing a €1,000 transfer from Stabæk. Aalvik spent the last two seasons on loan at Nybergsund, so he knows this division, even if his past experiences there weren’t happy ones.
Niklas Helgesen is also only 19, and Lyn fans might recognise him from last year, when he scored 12 goals in the 2. divisjon for Elverum (one more than a certain Martin Trøen). A pacey poacher with good dribbling ability, Niklas decided to leave Elverum in the winter and accepted a two-year contract with us, despite potentially having more lucrative options.
We also know Sander Eng Strand from his three-year stay at Bærum, from whom we’ve signed the midfield anchor for €2,500. I like my holding midfielders to be aggressive, energetic and hard-working, and the 20-year-old ticks all those boxes.
Two more youngsters have joined our reserve team with the hope of becoming senior regulars in the future. Ingmar Larsen is a technical attacking midfielder who last played for Sarpsborg FK in the 5. divisjon but apparently is a potential Eliteserien player. Magnus Høyland is a solid goalkeeper whose former clubs include Viking and Sandefjord.
And then we come to the older recruits. Centre-back Tobias Ødegård is 27 years old, has never played higher than the 2. divisjon, and was relegated with Fram Larvik last season, so I’m taking a HUGE risk with him. Even so, he’s an excellent athlete who has sharp focus and plenty of aggression.
I then ended a lengthy – and VERY stressful – search for a new left-back by signing Joackim Olsen Solberg, albeit at the third attempt after contract talks had twice broken down. I was delighted when the deal finally went through, not least because the 32-year-old has so much experience under his belt. In fact, he’s made 372 appearances in the top two Norwegian leagues, mostly for Mjøndalen.
Though Olsen Solberg isn’t the quickest wide player these days, he has other fantastic qualities which make up for that. We’ve already discovered that Jokke has a powerful shot and can take set-pieces – especially free-kicks – with the best of them. Oskar Hansen, you’ve got competition.
YOUTH INTAKE
We’ve unearthed a few gems in Lyn’s youth set-up over the last three seasons. Unfortunately, 2022 might be a lean year if this report on the latest intake suggests anything.
There are three wide players who my coaches reckon could turn into future first-teamers, but they all apparently lack ambition. Let’s look at their profiles anyway…
Tommy Carlsen is apparently one of the standout players from this intake, but he’s not even the most promising right-winger at the club. Tommy can’t cross, can’t pass, and isn’t particularly hard-working… but with okay Finishing and Composure, he might have a future as a striker.
On the same flank, we have Mikkel Malme as a potential future option at right-back. Unlike Carlsen, Malme does look suited to his position, possessing decent tackling ability and a selfless attitude. If he can show a bit more determination and ambition, the tiny defender might have a big future at Lyn.
And here’s a left-back prospect in Glenn Shaswari. He too is a good team player with a decent work ethic, though he needs to brush up on his tackling to have any chance of making the grade.
BACKROOM STAFF
Though our existing coaches were still reasonably good by 1. divisjon standards, I wanted a specialist goalkeeping coach to address one of our weak areas. Unfortunately, due to our financial situation at the time, chairman Patrick Madsen said we couldn’t afford to hire one just yet.
The coaching staff overhaul will likely have to wait another year, but we did manage to bring in a new fitness coach. Freddy Storsveen – previously of Elverum – came in as a cheaper and more disciplined alternative to his predecessor Hans Erik Ramberg, who left Lyn after two seasons.
Our Under-19s’ promotion to the National Championship meant they needed some attention as well. I appointed former Ørn Horten boss Kjell André Thu as their manager, and the erstwhile Bodø/Glimt striker Geir André Herrem as his assistant.
I also hired a new scout to replace Per Kløvtveit. That man was 41-year-old Krister Akerjordet – a very adaptable talent-spotter who used to work for KFUM Oslo. [Ah, so you’ve stopped poaching KFUM’s players and are now going after their old backroom staff employees instead? Interesting…]
PRE-SEASON
With the 1. divisjon campaign kicking off in late March, our pre-season also began nice and early – in the middle of February. As you can see, we wasted no time in getting some morale-boosting victories under our belt!
Our first match was an excellent – and completely unexpected – home win over Aalesund from the Eliteserien. Winger Eirik Haugstad put us ahead midway through the first half, and although the Tangotrøyene equalised early in the second period, we soon regained control. Haugstad set up a debut goal for new boy Helgesen before completing his brace and taking a major scalp!
We then hosted local rivals Lillestrøm, who actually offered me a job interview over the winter (I said no, obviously). The Kanarifugla were rather tougher opponents than Aalesund, taking the lead after only eight minutes. Thankfully, a late equaliser from Kot Chol Tafesse grabbed us another good result against a top-flight team.
Tafesse then scored twice more in a 4-0 win at lower-league Korsvoll. Jesper Sandberg was also on target before Olsen Solberg completed his Lyn debut with a goal direct from a free-kick.
A third home friendly against Eliteserien opposition gave us a reality check. Though Olsen Solberg netted again to quickly cancel out Haugesund’s 17th-minute opener, the visitors roared back in the second half to win. An early screamer from forward Moussa Njie was followed half an hour later by a decisive third away goal.
The next phase of pre-season saw us win five straight games in March, albeit against weaker opposition. First up was another comfortable victory, this time against Ski. Trøen got himself up and running with two of our four goals, all of which came in the first 32 minutes.
Our old 2. divisjon rivals Eidsvold Turn then gave us a stern test at the Bislett, though second-half strikes from Haugstad and Marcus Mehnert inspired us to a 3-1 victory. We then left it even later to beat Degerfors, who play in the Superettan – Sweden’s second division. It wasn’t until the 89th minute that Sannes assisted Helgesen for the game’s only goal, and another Lyn win.
17-year-old Tor Gulbrandsen stole the show by scoring a memorable hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing of Vollen. One Lyn youngster who wanted to forget this match was defender Marius Skorpen, who gifted the hosts their only goal by accidentally overhitting a back-pass into his own net! There was rather less chaos at Kjelsås, where Trøen, Haugstad and Mehnert all scored in another competent winning display.
SQUAD REPORT
Here’s how our first-team squad stands as we begin life in the 1. divisjon. All 23 senior players have been registered for league duty, as too have reserve goalkeeper Høyland and youth winger Gulbrandsen. The latter – along with Skorpen – will help us meet the criteria of having at least two homegrown squad members.
I’ve written a little bit about each of those 25 players below. As usual, I’ve also attached the player profiles of some particularly important assets:
Aalvik is a 19-year-old Norwegian youth international who could be our first-choice goalkeeper for the long-term. He has great reflexes and commands his area very well – and if he can brush up on his decision-making, he could be very good indeed.
The affable if eccentric Alexander Vangen drops back to the bench, despite keeping 10 clean sheets in our 2. divisjon title-winning season. New Lyn 2 keeper Høyland is still fairly young at 21 and has some potential, but he’ll only play for the first-team if he absolutely has to.
Benjamin Zalo is set to become a vital part of our defence for years to come. The tall and imposing centre-back had an excellent first full season at the Bislett and – at 24 – still has a fair bit of room to develop. While Big Ben does have a few potential weaknesses mentally, I expect him to handle the step up to the 1. divisjon reasonably well.
Ødegård will regularly accompany Zalo in the centre of our backline, though captain Anders Lübeck will still hope to provide strong competition. 19-year-old youth graduate Skorpen is our fourth-choice central defender with some solid attributes, though his heading and marking abilities are still quite poor.
I think Olsen Solberg will have a massive part to play in our first season up. I love my left-backs to bomb forward and contribute to the attack, and while this old warhorse isn’t exactly rapid, his crossing ability and long-range shooting can always cause issues. Jokke will also be our new vice-captain after Joakim Rishovd – one of our longest-serving players, who can play anywhere across the back – agreed to step aside.
This signing means that Hansen – despite being Lyn’s Player of the Year in 2021 – might not get as much of a look-in following our promotion. 2022 looks like being a more promising year for hard-working teenager Markus Frydenlund, who’s hoping to at last cement a regular starting place at right-back.
Sannes could be a bargain free signing from Kongsvinger. The quick-thinking and creative 18-year-old arrives at Lyn as one of our best players on overall ability already. He could quickly establish himself as our chief deep-lying playmaker ahead of Gaute Høberg Vetti, whose first season at the Bislett was solid if not amazing.
Sannes is also a potential defensive midfield option, though fellow youngster Eng Strand will begin the season as our first-choice anchor. Sandberg tops the bill when it comes to box-to-box midfielders with his tenacity and his long-range shooting. Martin Holmen is still here as a backup, though I’m now starting to think the 31-year-old might not be needed anymore.
If it’s creativity we’re after, then we’ll look no further than Mads Sande and Adil Zahid, both in their mid-20s. Mads is techncally slightly better and is more likely to create a moment of magic from nowhere. However, Adil is quicker on his feet and in his head, and he is more suited to an advanced playmaker role than his colleague.
Though Haugstad’s recent returns in league matches have been a little disappointing, I will keep faith in the right-winger to create and convert scoring chances. Eirik’s blistering pace will always give opposing left-backs plenty to worry about, especially when the heat is on.
If he doesn’t live up to expectations, though, then you can expect Yannis Moula to seriously challenge for a starting berth. Moula’s biggest strengths are his dribbling skills and his agility, though he is very inconsistent. I have also registered Gulbrandsen as a third-choice right-winger for the league, though he will mainly play Under-19s football for now.
Starting as an inside-forward on the left wing is Tafesse, who lit up the 2. divisjon last season with his technique, flair and finishing. The 26-year-old Kenya international should have few problems adapting to the second tier. His main rival is likely to be the often-frustrating though occasionally-fantastic Mehnert, who is naturally a striker but tends to see more action out wide these days.
There are no doubts about who’ll be up front for Lyn again this season. Trøen’s previous three seasons at the Bislett have seen him score 39 goals. You suspect there might well be more to come as Martin returns to the second tier after previous spells there with Strømmen and Ull/Kisa. I just hope he doesn’t stray offside too often…
Then we have Helgesen – a teenage rising star who could eventually become Trøen’s long-term successor. Niklas is the quickest of our three strikers and has the brightest future ahead of him, though he currently lacks the composure required to regularly convert chances. I’m sure that will come as he gains experience.
As ever, I’ll finish the squad report by looking at the tactics I’ll mainly be using this season. There aren’t many changes to point out this time, because after three years of working things out in the 2. divisjon, I’ve found two systems I’m very comfortable with.
With the 4-2-3-1, I’m giving the advanced midfield playmaker more freedom to attack and move into channels. Also, our lone striker is now an out-and-out poacher who will sit on the shoulder of the last defender and actively chase crosses and through-balls. Speaking of crosses, I’ve told our wing-back and winger not to send them in quite so early.
We may switch from a positive mentality to a more balanced one from time to time, depending on who we play. Our first match is at home to another newly-promoted team in Florø, so we can probably afford to take more risks there. It’s whenever we come up against sides like Tromsø and Sandefjord that we’ll have to think more carefully.
The 4-3-3 is relatively unchanged from last season. The only notable change is that our goalkeeper will now look to roll the ball out to our full-backs when we’re in transition. That’s mainly because Aalvik is happier distributing the ball with his hands than with his feet [you strangely don’t see many Alisson Becker wannabes in the Norwegian lower leagues].
We’ll mainly use this system to counter-attack in tough away games, especially against teams who have a dangerous attacking midfielder. Also, because of 1. divisjon regulations, we’ve had to widen the Bislett pitch by 10 yards, so don’t be surprised if we take a wider approach in certain home matches.
[Hey, Marit… it’s just occurred to me. If you ever switched to a 4-4-2 diamond, you could – in theory – name a midfield four consisting of Sander, Sannes, Sandberg and Sande! That would be quite fun, wouldn’t it?]
I’m not switching to a diamond, Christopher.
What do you make of that, then? I think this squad looks well-equipped to stay up, though I’m not sure if Lyn fans can start dreaming of another promotion just yet.
The first few weeks of the season will surely tell us a lot about how well (or how badly) Lyn are faring in their new league. Be sure to read the next chapter when it comes out later this week to find out how they get on.
“Takk for lesing!”
Fuller FM 
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