Odegaard on what to expect from his countrymen
Every home game, Martin Odegaard gives you his thoughts on the goings-on around the club in his captain’s notes column for the matchday programme.
Ahead of today's first Europa League home game of the season, you can read a snippet of his latest column which includes his feelings on derby day, and an injury update:
Personally it’s a special moment for me to be playing against a Norwegian team today. I know a lot about Bodo – they are a small club from the north of Norway who have done really well over the last few years.
They have always been a small club and they have often been between the first and second division in the Norwegian league. Sometimes up, sometimes down, but over the past few years they have been really strong.
They’ve made some great signings and they have an excellent coach too in Kjetil Knutsen. They have given him the time to work there and they have a very solid team now. The way they play the game, everyone knows the system and it has been working really well for them.
It has been a while since I was playing in Norwegian football, but I follow it still and I think over the last few years it has improved again. There was a drop in the quality for a few years, but now I feel like it’s getting better again. It’s more competitive now, and there are a few teams up there that can fight to win the title. I think Molde will end up winning the league pretty convincingly this season, but you have three or four teams who can fight to be in the top three.
There are some good young players coming through and the clubs have a bit more money now from playing European football and selling players on. Obviously there isn’t quite the same quality as we have here in the Premier League, but there’s no doubt that Norwegian football is stronger than it was and we will face a difficult game tonight.
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