Albert Gronbaek vs Valerenga Fotball - Match Report
Vålerenga Fotball 1 - 3 FK Bodo/Glimt | Norwegian Eliteserien 2023 | Written on January 4, 2024
Player Information
Name: Albert Gronbaek
Club: FK Bodo/Glimt
Nationality: Denmark
Age: 22 (Born 2001)
Position in match: Centre-midfielder (left)
Preferred foot: Right
Height: 1.76m
Match Stats (via FotMob):
Minutes played: 90
Touches: 40
Shots: 4
Goals: 0
Expected Goals: 0.49
Assists: 1
Expected Assists: 0.26
Passes: 13/21
Pass Accuracy: 62%
Successful Dribbles: 1/1
Match Summary:
Fairly even match in terms of possession/territorial control
Bodo would press occasionally, Valerenga would press occasionally as well but their press was more stretched, half-hearted
Both teams were happy to sit back in mid-blocks and challenge the opposition to play through them
Bodo’s organized 5-4-1 made it very hard for Valerenga to find any openings
Bodo’s patience in the 2nd/3rd phases was evident, reminded me of Girona
Due to Bodo’s passiveness out of possession, Valerenga were able to sustain possession in Bodo’s half (moreso the middle third, but still)
This gave Bodo plenty of opportunities to attack on the counter, which were not capitalized upon
Technical:
Again showed good understanding of space - playing one touch in congested areas - properly weighted 1-touch passes and layoffs
Long passing / outlet ball when using inside of foot was under-hit on multiple occasions
Nothing wrong with technique itself, more a question of using incorrect technique (could be driven pass, for ex)
1/1 lofted long balls completed, though not an outlet ball still shows he has the technical ability to execute
Showed great carrying ability again, upper body is upright, head up
Does not dribble into crowded areas
Carrying in transition attracts multiple opponents towards him but speed with the ball allows him to breeze past pressure
Again showed a tendency to use defenders’ momentum against them, always trying to cut back across oncoming pressure
Shot with inside of right foot → far post cornet (GK’s left) on multiple occasions
Majority of his passes were:
Congested area (when receiving BTL), ball must be moved quickly, requires higher technical ability
High risk + high reward final balls
I believe this is the reason for his lower pass accuracy %
Short through balls around the box are weighted well
Good first touch, ball out of feet - ball doesn’t get stuck under his feet
If he had space (would make sure of this by scanning), would receive the ball on the half-turn, again ball not getting stuck under his feet
Tactical:
Would drift to create overloads in 2nd phase this game, instead of just the 3rd phase
Was looking to ‘split’ VAL’s CMs via his positioning
harder to pick up as a result, forcing someone to leave their position to mark him
Would sometimes be too deep BTL to receive, could check in a little more (even just 1-2 steps) to make the pass easier for teammates
Lets the play come to him, doesn’t go to the play in these situations
In order to reach him, passes have to be ‘eye of the needle’, extremely precise (requiring high technical ability)
Occasionally positioned too flat (vertically) to create diagonal passing lanes/angles
Again looking to be around the box during crossing situations
Late entries, box presence, waiting in cutback zone - has the ability to do/be all 3
most often found top of the box zone 14 (cutback area) to either receive these cutbacks or get onto second balls when opposition teams clear crosses
Spent a lot of this game BTL, especially as Bodo patiently tried to break down Valerenga’s mid/low block
Would occasionally make runs into halfspace and past the back line, but not as often as vs Rosenborg (who were sitting deeper)
Again showed carry-first instinct in transitional situations - when given space, he will carry first instead of looking for a pass right away
Excellent scanner (offensively) - opens up so many options for him
Recognizes third-man combinations early as a result of scanning
Allows him to receive on half-turn when applicable
Lets him play 1-2 touch in congested areas
Wants to operate in pockets of space BTL - scanning is essential
Occasionally got split by pass when sitting as LCM in Bodo’s mid-block, could do better to check shoulder and block passing lanes in these situations
When opposition is behind him, he is a ‘reactive’ defender - doesn’t move to block passing lanes, moves to close down after pass is played
When opposition is receiving in front of him, showed good anticipation to pick pocket receiver and force a turnover
Physical:
Gets body in between ball - defender well
Can draw contact like this to win fouls
Psychological:
High levels of concentration all game, constantly moving and wanting to receive the ball
always engaged