Football Season Guide

Bryne are back in the Eliteserien for a first time in 22 years and it is a great time for the club and the coastal region of Jæren, which they represent proudly. They powered past teams like Moss and Egersunds in the second half of the season last year to clinch the second place in the standings, losing twice since June and being quite efficient as a team, with a league-low 29 goals conceded. They now face a big challenge in trying to adjust to the demands of the Eliteserien quickly and giving themselves a fighting chance to stay in the division and establish themselves in the years to come. The positive thing for them in that regard has been a very stable and uneventful off-season, with none of the core players from the squad moving to bigger clubs and the manager, Ole Kevin Knapper, staying put as well to begin his fourth season in charge. He used a deep block and a dogmatic 4-4-2 system which the wingers will have quite a lot of defensive duties and the midfielders will need to provide stability. The one bit of flair and unpredictability in the squad comes from 23-year-old David Moreira, who struggled to make it at Porto in his home country, but was a real hit last season with 11 goals. Apart from that, there are some experienced players who will be putting big shifts week in, week out, but the question remains the relative lack of quality in the squad and who far sheer hard work and adrenaline will carry them in a league where there are certainly much better and more explosive attacking sides.