– Look at the eleven. The eleven are certainly no fireworks, said TV 2 expert Jesper Mathisen in the FotballXtra studio.
Around three minutes had been played in the series opener between Rosenborg and Sandefjord when the southerners reacted.
– Alfred Johansson is sending out a weak line-up in his first match, he said, and continued:
– I have tipped RBK in fifth place, but when I see the starting eleven there, I have a little doubt.
“Mini”: – Weakest in 30 years
The TV 2 expert thought there were several things to put his finger on when he saw the eleven who were sent out on the field.
– I think it is relatively thin in many positions.
Rosenborg fielded the following starting eleven against Sandefjord: Rasmus Strandberg; Erlend Dahl Reitan, Mikkel K. Ceide, Tomas Nemcik, Ulrik Y. Jenssen; Edvard Tagseth, Ole Selnæs, Markus Henriksen; Jesper Reitan-Sunde, Jayden Nelson, Sverre Nypan.
Ole Sæter, Emil Frederiksen, Leo Cornic and Marius Broholm were replaced. Sæter and Fredriksen scored the goals in the 2-0 victory.
Key players who were missing in the series opener include: Noah Holm, Adrian Pereira, Isak Thorvaldsson, Adam Andersson and Jonathan Augustinsson. Tobias Børkeeiet has struggled with some injuries in the run-up to the season and sat on the bench throughout the match.
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Rosenborg legend Jahn Ivar “Mini” Jakobsen agrees that it looked rather thin.
– Yes, there is no doubt about it. Of course it was nice for the people of Trondheim that there were seven people from Trondheim who started the match, but that does not mean the same as quality. When I see the team and how they play, it is easily one of the weakest in the last 30 years, he tells Nettavisen.
– I have lowered the list
He also does not imagine that the players who were missing in the series opener will make the Trønder team that much better.
– There is nothing there to suggest that clouds can suddenly turn into sun, says Jakobsen.
Therefore, he has made a drastic choice in terms of what he thinks is realistic this season.
– I have lowered the list for what I expect and would probably think that they end up a little further down than fifth place. Bodø/Glimt and Molde are clearly the best and then there are a couple of other teams behind there again. Also, there is always someone who unexpectedly gets involved in the top.
The 58-year-old thinks it is sad to see what has happened to the club where he himself won seven league golds.
– Bad decisions have been made off the pitch. When I played, I remember they watched IFK Göteborg, a club that had won the European Cup (1982, 1987), but then ended up in no man’s land. Rosenborg should not make the same mistake, but now it has unfortunately happened. They haven’t been able to figure out how to avoid making the same mistake.
– The decisions that have been taken have been made with RBK’s best interests in mind, but it has been the wrong choice, says “Mini”.
First time in 24 years
Rosenborg has not actually made a single purchase this winter – and only brought in two players, one free and one on loan.
It is the first time in 24 years that no action has been taken during the transfer window from the Lerkendal club, according to Adresseavisen.
– It is simply because the club has no money, says “Mini”.
– Should RBK end up in the top five as it looks today, it would actually be an achievement. After all, they are without a striker against Sandefjord. Nypan is good, but undoubtedly best as an inside runner, but they will have to push him up to the top.
“Mini” was also not significantly impressed by the others who played in the attacking coach on Monday night.
– They field an 18-year-old who was not intended for a place in the A team and Jayden Nelson. It was thin. They did not create anything.
Excited about the Godset meeting
Although in the end it was a victory against Sandefjord, “Mini” is far from reassured by what he saw.
– It was a good experience in the end, but it was not a good performance, I think both the guys and Alfred agree.
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– I am still very excited about how things will go in Drammen.
The 58-year-old from Bodø is still not completely convinced that coach Alfred Johansson is the right medicine for the club.
– I think it is very open how this will develop. Alfred is a brilliant guy and has done well in youth football, but it’s different at senior level. He has good thoughts, but he has not inherited an RBK team as we know them, he says.
Solbakken: – A bit thin
National team manager Ståle Solbakken, for his part, does not look so darkly at the situation of the club that dominated Norwegian football for a number of years.
He himself played against RBK in Trønder’s heyday and follows Norwegian football closely through his current job.
– I think a Rosenborg that can vary between its 12-13 best players can provide resistance to everyone in the Eliteserien. They have a good mix of everything in the squad, so there is no reason to look too darkly at it, says the national team manager about Rosenborg to Nettavisen.
He believes Ole Selnæs has the Eliteserien’s best passing foot and that Sverre Nypan is the most promising youngster in the league.
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– It may have looked a bit thin in some positions, but when they get their best players in place in an eleven it can be good. They also have Ole Sæter in attack, Markus Henriksen who has a lot of experience and Erlend Dahl Reitan who is a stable and good Eliteserien player.
Solbakken finds it difficult to say whether the RBK eleven from the series opener is among the weakest he has seen.
– It is difficult to compare with the best. After all, they were in the Champions League ten years in a row and then there are some other editions to compare with. Recently, they have tried different coaches, with different football ideologies, says the 56-year-old.
– Now they have landed on Alfred and will slowly but surely build it back up.
– No one can take that away from RBK
Although the Trønder club has fallen behind somewhat in recent years, Solbakken believes that a unique culture still exists in RBK.
– Bodø and Molde are ahead now, because they have been very good at building a club, and as a result got their hands on better players. They have had large sales through participation in the European Cup, but the potential of Rosenborg no one can take away from them.
– They have Lerkendal, the supporter base and international success to show for it. What has happened in recent years does not erase history, it can be both an enemy and a friend. Right now it is an enemy, but I think there are brighter times ahead, says Solbakken.
– They have to build it up stone by stone and not expect it to be done in a flash.
The Norway boss knows RBK coach Alfred Johansson well from their time together at Danish FC Copenhagen.
– Alfred is a sensible guy. It’s tough to take a job like this as your first big job, but I think it will be good if players, managers and support staff stand together. Alfred is an upbeat guy, he says the Norwegian national team coach about RBK’s young head coach.
On Sunday, Johansson and his RBK men travel to Drammen to meet Strømsgodset. The match starts at 17.00.