After last night’s result against Stabæk Fotball, Lillestrøm have now secured nine straight Eliteserien matches without defeat.
The Canaries find themselves sitting in third place in the league, nine points behind early leaders Molde with a game in hand, not bad for a side who were playing in the OBOS-ligaen last year.
In this post, my first on the Eliteserien, I will attempt to break down what it is that Lillestrøm are doing which has contributed to their success, seeing them in their best league position since they found themselves in second place after the second round of the 2014 season.
All data is sourced from Wyscout unless stated.
Defensive Solidity
Lillestrøm currently have a possession rate of 47.6%, a figure which see’s them in 11th place out of the 16 teams in the league. This is a familiar trend which we often see associated with teams who have been promoted, as their players are often acclimatising to the faster pace and higher quality of opponent.
When out of possession Bakke’s men will often switch their 3–4–3 to a more compact 5–4–1 or 5–3–2 often looking to force opponents down the flanks as they look to force the cross.
This tactic plays into the hands of their defensive unit which includes Igoh Ogbu and Espen Garnas, both of which stand above 6'2" and currently boast an aerial duel success rate of 60% (Ogbu) and Garnas (65%) which has both within the top eleven players in the league.
Garnas, the pacier of the two defenders operates mainly down the right hand side of the defensive unit, his partnership with Ogbu is one which I feel will hold a significant influence on whether or not Bakke’s men will be able to sustain their momentum. The duo have already contributed with close to 100 clearances between them, a significant number.
Ogbu on the other hand operates more as a stopper, from his central position of the back three he can often be found pushing ahead of the defensive line in order to engage in aerial duels, knowing that he has a spare man in either Garnas or Vetle Dragsnes to challenge for the second ball.
Ogbu isn’t the only Nigerian who is having an impact on Lillestrøm’s early success, his fellow countryman Ifeanyi Mathew is also an effective piece of the puzzle.
Operating as a box to box midfielder Mathew’s work rate and determination is one of the main reasons as to why Lillestrøm have been so successful in regaining possession, Mathew has won the ball back 63 times already this season.
He is also effective when winning the ball back in the final third (15 times), a metric where Lillestrøm are the 4th highest in the league on FotMob.
Leading the line
The form of Thomas Lehne Olsen has to be the main contributor to Lillestrøm’s ascendancy, the 30-year-old has already matched his best goal-scoring season of 2018 when the Norweigan scored 12 goals across 29 matches.
This campaign his 12 goals have come from an xG of 7.7, the striker is adept at finishing with both feet (7 right, 2 left) and is very effective in the air. He currently sits in the top five in terms of offensive duels and has scored 3 goals with his head.
Olsen has an exceptional work rate, this paired with his off the ball movements and his make him a a very tough opponent to mark a few examples of this movement can be seen in the below images.
Here in the most recent victory against Sarpsborg, Mikael Dyrestam is touch tight with Olsen and the only free space to attack is via a deep cross due to the positioning of Joachim Thomassen.
However as Dyrestam swivels his head to focus on the potential delivery, Olsen uses this as a trigger to make a dart around his opponent and drive towards the front-post where the ball is delivered. The outcome is 2–0 and Lillestrøm are on their way to securing another three points in the league.
Again in the 1–0 victory against Odds BK, Olsen is being marked by Odin Bjortuft. The 22-year old of Odds can be seen on multiple occasions checking that his opponent’s position ensuring that the defender stays goal-side to cut out a potential cross.
As Gjermund Asen is about to deliver the ball into the box, Olsen makes a shift in movement to attack the ball, blindsiding Bjortuft enabling him to get in-front of the defender and connect will the ball to secure three points for the home team.
