Odin Bjortuft played a full 90 minutes in Bodo/Glimt's Champions League fixtures against Juventus, Manchester City, and Atletico Madrid as a key defensive component in their high-pressing, possession-based style, where he has been asked to minimise the influence of strikers like Erling Braut Haaland, Julian Alvarez, and others.
While no football experts can have any doubts about Bodo/Glimt's attacking promise, the Arctic outfit have developed another dimension to their game during this Champions League campaign as they have gradually evolved into a more defensively solid unit under the guidance of coach Kjetil Knutsen, combining their signature high-intensity play with improved tactical discipline and structure.
At the heart of that development, you will find Bodo/Glimt's 27-year-old central defender Bjortuft, who's been a pillar in organising the Norwegian rearguard, which stood its ground during the crucial clashes against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.
In an exclusive interview with Flashscore, Bjortuft tells us how big teams have more respect and are better prepared to face Bodo in their Arctic conditions. He also offers an interesting insight into the background for the emphatic wins against City and Atletico, what it's like to man-mark Norwegian compatriot Haaland, and the reasons for Bodo's improved away form.
Last but not least, he touches upon the challenges involved in facing Serie A leaders Inter in the knockout stages of the Champions League and what Bodo/Glimt's rise to fame has meant for the city and the region.
The matches against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid took place during your break in the domestic league season. Did it help going into those matches that you had more time to rest, or was it tougher because you weren't in your usual match rhythm?
"I think it was both positive and negative. I prefer to play regularly and have a match rhythm, and it's one of the difficulties we face with the way that our season is structured.
"But at the same time, we have the luxury of getting a lot of time to prepare against different opponents, and that is certainly a big advantage for us when we face teams in the Champions League that are, on paper, much, much better than us."
How did City's and Atletico's players react to playing in the Arctic Circle in January, in the freezing cold?
"Teams are better prepared when they come to Bodo now. A few years ago, European teams came to Bodo and did not know what to expect, and weren’t so well prepared.
"Now, when they come up here, they know what’s in store for them, also in terms of the weather conditions, so the advantage of playing at home is not as big as it has been before.
"Big teams facing us have a lot more respect coming here than earlier, and they know they could be in for a hard test.
"The story of Bodo/Glimt has been covered extensively in the media after we reached the semi-final of the Europa League and qualified for the Champions League, so big teams know all about us now, and they don't take anything for granted anymore."
What were the main reasons for your impressive wins against City and Atletico?
"It was, of course, two different matches because tactically Manchester City and Atletico Madrid are set up in very different ways. But overall, I think the structure of the team, especially defensively, worked very well in those games.
"We have looked more vulnerable in defence during previous matches. Both teams have an amazing attacking force with players like Haaland and (Antoine) Griezmann, so we had to be extremely well organised defensively to handle the pressure."
What were the instructions of Kjetil Knutsen ahead of those games? Did you change your approach in any way?
"Kjetil Knutsen wants us to trust our own abilities, be brave, and believe that we can match these teams and players; that’s the most important thing for him to communicate: that we have nothing to be scared of.
"Perhaps people on the outside see it differently, but inside the group, we have an enormous faith in ourselves and believe that it's justified that we have reached this stage of the competition."
How tough was it marking Erling Braut Haaland, probably the only one from the City team who was used to the kind of conditions in northern Norway?
"At least if you ask Norwegians, Erling Haaland is the best striker in the world. It’s a very steep learning curve having to mark a man like him, constantly having to be on your toes to keep him under control; one small defensive slip, and you have lost him.
"But the way we had organised it was that it was not only up to one player to cover him; we had backup, and the way we worked very well together defensively also meant that it became very difficult for him. It was very special and fun playing against a player of that level, and that’s certainly an experience that will stay with me."
Tell us about the celebrations after the wins against City and Atletico. Was there anything special planned?
"It’s a little bit scary how normal the celebrations have become after those wins. Of course, it was a very big accomplishment for the club to beat such huge clubs, and perhaps the celebrations afterwards did not really reflect that.
"We did not really have a celebration; we had a few days off, and then it was straight back to work. We always want to achieve the next thing and the next thing, so perhaps there is not so much focus on the celebrations but more on how we push past the next obstacle."
Everyone has been able to notice your strength at home. But now you are also starting to produce very promising results away, what do you see as the main reasons for this?
"I think it's also related to experience. It's about learning how to keep cool in those situations when you are inside a huge stadium, have a big, hostile crowd against you, and play against world-class players.
"It's about finding out how not to be affected by those circumstances and trusting in your own abilities to get the job done."
What do you think of Inter and how can Bodo succeed against them?
"This is another challenge for us that we have to overcome. We have faced Italian teams before, and they are very, very strong in the tactical part of the game. And we know Inter is well recognised for being incredibly strong in that aspect of the game.
"We saw how difficult Italian teams can be to play against when we lost at home against Juventus, so we need to adjust our style in order not to be taken by surprise by them."
This is Bodo/Glimt's first Champions League campaign, and you have managed to qualify for the knockout stages. What does it mean for the club and the city?
"You can’t underestimate the importance of it for the club and the city. You can sense that it has generally really lifted the spirit of the city, and football is frequently discussed by all people in the streets.
"We have really managed to put Bodo on the map. Before, there were probably a lot of sports fans in the world who did not know where Bodo was located, but I am sure they know now.
"It’s a bit easy to get the feeling that we are a somewhat isolated way up in the north, so in a sense, we feel that we are not only fighting for the club but also for the country."