Football Season Guide

Sarpsborg's prospects looked in major peril midway through last season after a woeful start but the change of manager in June, with Christian Michelsen arriving, sparked a real turnaround as the team went on an excellent unbeaten run and then rode a rather bog injury crisis towards the end to stay up with something to spare and without any major pressure on them. The aim now is to not get involved at the bottom end of the standings and establish themselves as one of the better teams in the top half of the standings, while maintaining a style of football that is pleasing on the eye and quite aggressive. The squad has been refreshed with the addition of solid players like Mikkel Vestergard and young forward Daniel Karlsbakk while experienced old heads like Amidoiu Diop, Stefan Johansen and Simon Tibbing have moved on. Players like Victor Halvorsen and Daniel Job showed quite a lot of promise at times last season and the coach will rely on them to become more integral to the whole team. The defence looks pretty well covered, with reliable experienced players like Menno Koch, Magnar Odehaard and Franklin Uchenna, but there are some gaps in the wide areas, where Sander Ørjasæter and Nicklas Sanderberg do not have much cover, that could become problematic as the season goes on. But generally this Sarpsborg side looks very much capable of delivering a solid mid-table finish and has a high enough floor to feel confident ahead of the campaign.