Bodo/Glimt trio pushing hard for Norway's World Cup dream despite gruelling schedule
With the success that the former Arctic football minnows have experienced not only on the domestic scene but also in the European club competitions, nobody can be surprised that Bodo/Glimt are the club with the highest representation of players in Norway's World Cup squad, as Patrick Berg, Jens Petter Hauge, and Frederik Bjorkan were all included by coach Stale Solbakken.
The homegrown talents have spearheaded the club's unprecedented rise, playing major roles in the four league titles won since 2020 and historic European upsets against powerhouses like Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan, and all three have been important for Norway too.
They've had a vital impact on their World Cup campaign with Berg as the crucial rotational piece in midfield, Bjorkan being a natural left-footed option at full-back, and Hauge offering a direct, pacey attacking threat from the flanks, mainly as a substitute.
However, the unexpected success at both the domestic and international stages has come at a substantial physical price, as all three have had to endure an incredibly condensed and nearly year-round schedule since March 2024, averaging a competitive fixture every 4.5 to 7 days.
Between March 2024 and the present, Bodo/Glimt players have faced an exceptionally demanding schedule, with virtually no extended physical rest or traditional off-season breaks. A standard winter break for Eliteserien teams lasts from December to March, but Bodo/Glimt’s immense European success completely eradicated this rest window.
Over 788 days, Bodo/Glimt have played no less than 188 official matches between the 2-0 win against Frederiksstad on 1 April 2024 and the 2-2 draw against Rosenborg on 29 May this year.
Bodo Glimt coach Kjetil Knutsen has admitted in the Norwegian media that the intense schedule was never part of the plan and forced the club to rethink their recovery protocols as the schedule severely impacted his team's core identity, leading to a temporary decline in their renowned training culture.
The club also acknowledged that they didn't have the support systems or resources needed to fully handle this kind of workload, which took a toll on both the physical and mental health of the squad.
Because the Norwegian domestic league (Eliteserien) runs on a spring-to-autumn calendar while major European competitions run from autumn to spring, their overlap has forced the club into a relentless 27-month cycle of continuous football. Consequently, March 2024 was the last full month without competition.
The domestic league is currently on its summer break, which started in late May, and will resume again on Saturday, 11 July, giving Hauge, Berg, and Bjorkan very little time to recover, regardless of how far Norway will make it at the World Cup.
All three players could be thrown into action as Solbakken plans to rotate his squad for the clash against France, as the Norwegian coach recognises the need to preserve the physical reserves for the rest of the tournament.
"This match is important, but the most important match is the 1/16 final. So what I am assessing now is what measures should be used", said Solbakken to VG.no.
"We have to be rested physically, mentally, and be 100 per cent tactically ready if we are to participate. Now it will be a notch up. We must not become the naive nation that does not understand what is required in a 1/16 final. We have never been there, so we must do everything we can to understand it."