Elfsborg certainly produced one of their most accomplished seasons for years as Jimmy Thelin's side finished eighth after successive bottom half finishes. It was their strongest campaign in years and Thelin will be delighted to see that some of his work is bearing fruit. Because this job has not been an easy one for the Jonkopings Sodra man, and he could really not afford another disappointing season like last season.
With just one defeat in their first seven league matches Elfsborg were never in any danger of a relegation battle, and quickly emerged as a team that could be threatening the top half of the table. But there were darker moments too, with the seven game winless run in the summer which included a terribly poor 2-1 defeat against Falkenbergs and a 5-2 hammering at the hands of Hammarby. Thelin was under pressure again, but they managed to turn things around again in the autumn.
There will be some squad changes again for sure, but rather than wholesale changes there will surely just be a bit of tinkering to the starting eleven. The defence looks pretty solid and they just need to find some more firepower up front. Viktor Prodell was not adequately replaced, while youngsters like Simon Olsson need to step it up a notch if they are to have any significant bearing on next season. Elfsborg will be ready for 2020 and will look for any position above eighth. The only thing that can't be allowed to happen is dipping back into the lower half.
