Rosenborg finish the season as league champions yet again and are almost certain to claim the double with a Cup win after the international break. It has been an undoubtedly very strong season from the most successful Norwegian club and their triumph felt almost monotonic and almost rather ordinary from very early on. They suffered an early setback at Odd but that loss at the start proved their only for pretty much the entire season until the final few games. The team led by Kåre Ingebrigtsen were just unstoppable and carried some superb momentum after a shaky start. They were completely dominant in their home games and would hold a perfect record all the way until the final couple of games, going 13 wins out of 13 in front of their fans. The away form was not that spectacular but the team showed unity and mettle to come through some tough situations. Odd’s impressive first half of the season kept the distance between the two sides at the summit relatively small but the Trondheim side were always the ones leading the pack and looking like the only probable title winners. They made the most of a drop-off in form from Odd in the summer, winning nine games out of ten during a period going to early October. The departure of Alexander Søderlund up front was not really felt over the course of the season as Christian Gytkjær enjoyed a brilliant campaign after a slow start, finishing the league season with a magnificent 19-goal haul. Jonas Svensson was another star performer as he enjoyed a brilliant season as right-back, contributing with lots of assists and some great crossing. The team’s main win was making it into the Champions League group stages but an agonising last-gasp collapse away at APOEL Nicosia ended that dream at the start of August. A loss to Austria Vienna denied them a run in the Europa League group stages too. That was undoubtedly the big disappointment for Ingebrigtsen and while there is no escaping the fact that this is by far the best team in Norwegian football, there are way too predictable and mediocre to make something more at the international level. Still, Rosenborg sealed the title with a 3:1 win away at arch rivals Molde, in a manner that gave their fans great reason for celebrations, and there is no argument that they were far superior than anyone else and are likely to continue their domination in the coming seasons.
