In football (and indeed in most sports), the difference between success and failure can be very small indeed. Just ask the supporters of Lyn 1896.
The 2022 season was Lyn’s first back in the 1. divisjon following their promotion the previous year. After a poor start, they propelled themselves up the table, but a late-season draw at home to Alta meant they missed out on automatic promotion by one point. To make matters worse, they then lost 1-0 in the Playoff Semi Final after Tromsø scored a wonder-goal from distance.
Manager Marit Enstad was very disappointed to have fallen short, but she’s staying positive ahead of the 2023 campaign. With a few reinforcements in key areas, Lyn could be in a position to mount another promotion challenge sooner rather than later. So, Marit… how’s it looking at the Bislett?
TRANSFERS OUT
Hei, det er Marit! 2022 was an excellent season for us, even if it didn’t have the dream ending. However, I have been working hard over the winter to strengthen our squad, which also meant reluctantly saying goodbye to some good friends.
(By the way, I’m also in the first year of a new contract worth €1,300 per week until the end of 2024. I actually signed it last October, but I’ve forgotten to mention it until now. I was probably too focussed on our promotion challenge at the time.)
We released six players at the turn of the year. Three of them – reserve midfielder Oussema Ali, forward Marcus Mehnert and goalkeeper Alexander Vangen – moved on after each spending the last three seasons at Lyn. The other three had been here for even longer and would be even more sorely missed.
As a manager, I’m not supposed to have ‘favourite’ players, but I really did like Oskar Hansen a lot. The left-back had been at the Bislett since 2017 and had always given everything for the club, especially when it came to set-pieces. Oskar was our star performer in the 2021 promotion season, and though he lost his starting place last year, he never complained even once. Takk, Oskar.
Another full-back who served us well was Joakim Rishovd, who arrived from Hønefoss in January 2019 – just two days before I took charge, in fact! Joakim was a solid performer on either flank for four years, and led by example as vice-captain for two-and-a-half of those. Sadly, the 1. divisjon proved just too big a step-up for him.
The saddest departure of all was Martin Trøen‘s. After scoring 52 goals in four years at the Bislett, Martin had become a much-loved striker among the Bastionen. Indeed, I could have seen him one day threatening the legendary Ola Dybwad-Olsen’s record of 119 league goals for Lyn, which dates back to the 1970s.
Sadly, Trøen damaged his cruciate ligaments last October, and I couldn’t justify giving him a new contract while he was injured. However, I will look at the 28-year-old’s situation again in the summer, once he’s completed his rehabilitation. I’m keeping his number 10 jersey free just in case I do decide to re-sign him.
Meanwhile, I allowed three of our younger players to go out on loan. Promising centre-half Eirik Melby was still some way off first-team level, so he’s gone back on loan to the 2. divisjon, this time joining Strømmen for the year.
Another central defender – Marius Skorpen – went on a season-long loan to Lørenskog in the same division. Lørenskog became our feeder club earlier this year, thus allowing us to send some of our prospects to Rolvsrud whenever we wish.
Completing a trio of 2. divisjon loanees is attacking midfielder Ingmar Larsen, who will build up his experience at Asker. Our former rivals are once again among the contenders for promotion, but could Ingmar make 2023 the year they finally get out of their division?
Thankfully, our exciting playmaker Fredrik Sannes wasn’t going anywhere… yet. That was despite us receiving an offer in February from Haugesund, who finished 3rd in last year’s Eliteserien, thus qualifying for the Europa League.
Haugesund’s bid was a long way short of the €75,000 I valued the young midfielder at, so I told them to go away and not come back until they were serious. Sannes was very disappointed when he heard this, but I asked him, “There’s a great atmosphere in the dressing room right here. Why would you want to leave that behind while you’ve still got so much to achieve here?”
Rik agreed that the grass probably wasn’t greener on the other side. A week-and-a-half later, he confirmed his commitment to Lyn by signing a new three-year, €300-per-week contract. I was obviously delighted, because a player with his creative qualities would be quite hard to replace in the second division.
TRANSFERS IN
Those are the seven new boys at Lyn – but I’m sure you’ll have noted that one of them isn’t very new at all! The first of our former youth graduates has returned home… at least for the coming season!
Once Trøen’s departure was confirmed, I knew straight away that I wanted to bring Svein Melfjord back to replace him. The pacey 20-year-old striker had struggled to establish himself at Odd since joining them for €16,500 in 2020. Odd made Svein available for loan in the winter, and it didn’t take much persuasion to get him back in a Lyn jersey.
A few weeks later, we loaned in another of Odd’s young starlets. Erik Haugland is an athletic covering defender with impressive aerial ability and a strong sense of sportsmanship. Erik does lack a bit of composure, though, and he was relegated with HamKam last year, but I still think he’ll be a great addition to our backline.
Other winter arrivals included Emil Holst, who moved up two divisions from Kløfta to be our new second-choice goalkeeper. The 25-year-old has good reflexes and aerial ability, but he’ll likely only be here for one season. You’ll understand why in a minute or two.
Then there’s Geir Skeie – an exceptionally brave 19-year-old centre-back formerly of Arendal. He’s got plenty of potential as a defensive stopper and will initially start his Lyn career in our reserve team. (If the name sounds vaguely familiar, then you’re probably thinking of the former Lyn 2 right-back Geir Huus Skeie. He’s now 22 and playing for Kråkerøy in the fourth tier.)
In terms of cash signings, I spent €3,000 on a big-name right-back. That’s what we paid Lillestrøm to sign the Stavanger-born former Iranian youth international Dariush Karimirouzbehani [can’t we just call him Dariush for short?]. He’s a solid 22-year-old wideman who also played for HamKam last year… though the fact he was named their Fans’ Player of the Season should make you feel more optimistic.
The arrival of ‘the man from Iran’ was followed by the €6,000 purchase of Andreas Uran from Jerv. Though Andreas isn’t technically at the same level as Joackim Olsen Solberg, I see the 23-year-old as a possible long-term successor to the ageing left-back. He certainly shares Jokke’s attacking endeavour, which is a start.
Finally, I made room in my squad for a natural left-winger to arrive late in the transfer window. 20-year-old Brage Karterud joined on a free transfer from hometown club Strømmen, where his technique and explosiveness had already caught the eyes of several reputable teams.
YOUTH INTAKE
It’s always an exciting moment when a new intake of youth players arrives in the Under-19s squad. A few members from the class of 2023 look promising, but there’s one player who really stands out. Put it this way… if Eivind Aalvik is poached any time soon, we might already have his replacement!
Say hallo to Kasper Morthen. This 6ft goalkeeper has only just turned 16 but already has good handling abilities, not to mention a cool head on his young shoulders. A bright future at Lyn surely beckons, so long as he plucks up the courage to better himself and aspire for big things.
My coaches rate Kasper so highly that they reckon he could already hold his own in the 1. divisjon. I’ve already given him a taste of first-team action in pre-season against Nybergsund, though I probably won’t rush him into competitive action while he’s still at school.
We’ve also got a reasonably promising left-back in the wings (yes, another one). Kristian Johansen is a fairly aggressive player who could develop into a useful asset over the coming years. Kristian has a honest personality, which implies that he shows great sportsmanship but not much determination.
Lastly, there’s Aleksander Bratland – a central midfielder with a cool first touch and a creative mind. Unfortunately, Aleks does have a tendency to try and play his way out of trouble, and his lack of ambition could stifle his development.
BACKROOM STAFF
Our backroom staff saw few changes this winter, but there was a big development. I asked the board again for a specialist goalkeeping coach to work with Aalvik and our other shotstoppers. With our finances having improved hugely over the past year, they finally agreed.
So, our new goalkeeping coach is Nikolai Venedik – a 53-year-old who has previously worked for Strømmen, Moss and KFUM Oslo. Nikolai specialises in coaching handling skills and is also a strong motivator.
That was the only change I needed to make for the time being. Our coaching set-up apparently ranks in the top six of all 1. divisjon clubs in all categories, while our recruitment and medical teams are also pretty strong. [If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?]
PRE-SEASON
You could say this was another very productive pre-season campaign at Lyn. Six wins, one draw, one defeat, 21 goals scored, only five conceded – it couldn’t have gone much better!
Our preparations began with a comfortable win over Gjelleråsen from the 3. divisjon. Four different scorers helped us race into a 4-0 lead, but a couple of defensive lapses allowed the hosts’ 16-year-old striker Jan Erik Rike to pull two goals back.
Then came a narrow defeat to local rivals Stabæk, who finished 4th in the Eliteserien last season. To be honest, we were hardly at the races against ‘De Blaa’, only managing one shot on target. Our defence did a decent job of shutting the visitors out until midway through the second half, when a 30-yard shot from Finland winger Kevin Kabran crashed in off the woodwork. Urgh.
We then went back on the road and beat a couple more lower-league sides. Ull/Kisa actually gave us a stern test until three late goals – including two from midfielder Jesper Sandberg – powered us to a 5-1 win. That was followed by a 2-0 beating of twice-relegated Nybergsund, in front of a huge crowd of… 13 (“TRETTEN”).
With our confidence boosted, we recorded clean sheets against our next two Eliteserien visitors. There wasn’t much excitement to be gained from a goalless draw with Brann, who barely avoided relegation last year after finishing runners-up in 2021. The following match, on the other hand…
Strømsgodset are supposed to be the 8th-best team in Norway, but you wouldn’t know it from how clinical we were against Dan Eggen’s side! Eirik Haugstad stole the show with a brace, with strikers Melfjord and Niklas Helgesen also getting on the scoresheet before Skeie completed a 5-0 demolition! Unbelievable.
Our pre-season finished with a couple of solid victories against former 2. divisjon opponents. Gaute Høberg Vetti opened the scoring at Raufoss before Markus Frydenlund‘s free-kick and Melfjord’s 90th-minute drive sealed the spoils. Gaute and Svein were both on the scoresheet again when we beat Grorud 2-0, keeping spirits high before our first league games.
Following pre-season, I made a big decision about the Lyn captaincy. I felt that it was time to start a transition of leadership from the club’s old generation to the new. As captain Anders Lübeck and vice-skipper Olsen Solberg would no longer be regular starters, it made no sense for them to be our main two team leaders.
I spoke with both men about the situation, and Anders agreed to step down as captain. Jokke was promoted in his place, with Benjamin Zalo – a younger but still major influence in the dressing room – taking up the vice-captaincy.
Although Olsen Solberg is now officially the club captain, Zalo will wear the armband for most of our matches. As a loyal and dependable servant to the Lyn cause, I’m confident Big Ben will grow into his new leadership role and take us forward.
SQUAD REPORT
And there’s our full first-team squad, which I feel is certainly strong enough to challenge for another top-six finish, if not go one step further than last year. Let’s now have a quick look at each of those players…
Though this is his second season at Lyn, Aalvik is now our official number 1. He’s a very capable and flexible young goalkeeper who kept 11 clean sheets in 33 matches last year. It would be great if we could keep Eivind here for the long run, but I know much bigger clubs will be looking at him if he continues impressing.
Summer signing Holst is our new backup keeper, though the very exciting Morthen will probably start snapping at his heels soon. Reserve goalie Magnus Høyland has been relegated to fourth-choice and is no longer registered for our league squad.
We’ve got fierce competition for places at full-back. The evergreen (and very productive) Olsen Solberg may be our new captain, but the 33-year-old left-back is likely to be displaced by Uran, who’s a decade his junior. Andreas has pace to burn and loves to take the ball upfield, though I hope he won’t neglect his defensive responsibilities.
At right-back, we’ve got Karimirouzbehani and Frydenlund – whose surnames have 26 letters between them [cheers for giving me carpal tunnel, Marit]. New boy Dariush is the more attacking option of the two, with much better crossing and dribbling skills. Markus is two years younger, slightly quicker and more composed – and he’s less afraid to make aggressive tackles.
New vice-captain Zalo is the most talented of our centre-backs – and at 6ft 5in tall, he’s a massive threat from set-pieces, as many teams found out last year. Sadly, he will miss our opening league game because of… blisters. Saying that, anyone who’s played football for any length of time will tell you that blisters are no laughing matter.
Big Ben’s most regular central partner is likely to be new loanee Haugland, who would be the more athletic covering defender of the pair. Tobias Ødegård is a traditional aggressive stopper, and he will – along with former skipper Lübeck – provide valued experience whenever required.
Sannes’ development has not been as quick as I was hoping for, but the 19-year-old is still the standout man in our midfield. Rik is creative, consistent and intelligent, and I’m expecting big things from him over the coming season.
Our backup deep-lying playmaker will once again be Høberg Vetti, who’s a little more erratic but has the flair and anticipation to make magic happen. 18-year-old Reidar Huus is not far off his level and has been promoted to the senior set-up, where he can expect plenty of opportunities this year.
Sandberg has rather flown under the radar at Lyn since his arrival from Nybergsund in 2020. I reckon, though, that this could be Jesper’s time to establish himself as a regular starter. The fearless and tireless box-to-box midfielder is equally at home when defending or attacking.
Mads Sande and Adil Zahid will again battle it out to be the more advanced player in our midfield three. Zahid probably has the edge after creating six goals last season, but he is a bit lightweight and tends to disappear from matches now and then. Sande is more rounded and more reliable, even if he doesn’t rack up big numbers of goals or assists.
Tafesse is a real talent at this level, as he showed by contributing seven goals and five assists in 2022. The inside-forward’s creativity and athleticism has made him a much-loved member of the Lyn family, and – more recently – a regular in the Kenya national team.
Kot Chol has two main rivals on the left flank. Though naturally a striker, I’m using the enigmatic Helgesen – with his dribbling prowess – out wide more often than up front on his own. We also now have Karterud as an out-and-out left-winger who can take on opposing right-backs and put dangerous crosses into the box.
Haugstad is once again our top dog on the right wing, thanks largely to the loyal 29-year-old’s explosiveness – and his love for big matches. His younger backup Yannis Moula is probably better when it comes to technical skill, but Yannis has yet to deliver the goods consistently. We also have teenager Tor Gulbrandsen still waiting in the wings for a major breakthrough.
It’s strange to end a squad report without seeing Martin Trøen’s profile, but I’m sure you’ll agree that our new starting striker looks even better than the big man.
Melfjord is quick out of the blocks, a clinical finisher in the box… and he also takes a free-kick [then again, so can about seven other players at Lyn]. If the four goals Svein scored in pre-season suggest anything, our former youth graduate’s second coming – albeit only on loan – could be quite enjoyable.
And now it’s time to talk tactics. I’ve not made many changes to the 4-2-3-1 system, which helped us to get a very strong home record last season. We may play at a quicker tempo from time to time, and I might also change a few roles if we need to be more direct and play wider. Generally, though, I live by the mantra, “Hvis den ikke er ødelagt, må du ikke fikse den.” [“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”]
Likewise, with the 4-3-3, you won’t have noticed any major changes from last year. This is generally an effective counter-attacking system, though the striker can often be frozen out of games if the opposition defence is smart enough. That’s when I change the system to something like this:
It’s important here that the mezzala and the inside-forward are given more freedom to attack.
The addition of Karterud means that I can also change the 4-3-3 to accomodate him. Whenever we have Brage on the left wing, I might use Helgesen as an inside-forward, though Tafesse has been effective there in the past despite being far from natural.
The central midfielders and full-backs would also swap roles, so that we would – for instance – have our most attacking wide defender on the right. Of course, I have to think about what the opposition are likely to do tactically as well.
So it’s a case of evolution rather than revolution at Lyn. After the heartbreak of 2022, could new blood make all the difference in 2023? Come back soon to find out…
“Takk for lesing!”
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