Kjetil Knutsen's Bodo Glimt SUPER 4-3-3

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this is my emulation of Knutsen's Bodo Glimt


Kjetil Knutsen's Tactical Guide to Bodø/Glimt

Under the leadership of Kjetil Knutsen, Bodø/Glimt has established itself as one of the most fascinating and intriguing teams in European football. Characterized by an aggressive playing style, lightning-fast transitions, and intense pressing, Bodø/Glimt has captured the attention of fans and experts alike. This tactical analysis explores Knutsen's principles, examining in detail the strategies that have led to the team's success. By delving into formations, key player roles, and high-speed game tactics, we'll discover what makes Bodø/Glimt such a formidable force on the pitch.

Build-Up Play
For the build-up phase, Knutsen sets his team up in a 1-4-3-3 formation, with a back four, one defensive midfielder, two central midfielders, and a front three. This setup aims to establish a solid defensive foundation while maintaining midfield fluidity and options. The four defenders provide width and stability, allowing for controlled possession from deep areas. The defensive midfielder acts as a link between the defense and midfield, dictating the tempo and distributing the ball to the two more advanced central midfielders. These midfielders position themselves to exploit spaces between the opposition's lines, creating passing triangles that facilitate progression. The three attackers are always ready to receive the ball, either through direct passes or runs behind the defense. This setup allows the team to transition quickly from defense to attack, maintaining pressure on opponents and ensuring defensive coverage.

Rotations and Fluidity

Bodø/Glimt's players are constantly rotating during the build-up. The team adopts a dynamic approach, shifting formations to create numerical advantages and exploit spaces. Knutsen always aims to position players where they can best express their skills, emphasizing their versatility. The interchanging of positions helps to maintain possession and disrupt the opponent's defensive structure. This flexibility allows Bodø/Glimt to evade the opposition's press while maintaining control of the game.
The most frequent rotation involves one full-back moving into a central position while the other pushes forward into the midfield. This change creates a back three, preserving defensive stability and increasing possession control. This tactical adjustment not only widens the field but also opens up new passing lanes, making it easier to escape the opponent's press. Requiring great technical and tactical ability, this fluidity has made Bodø/Glimt's attack more dynamic, offering creative solutions to bypass opponents and progress effectively.

High Defensive Line

A crucial aspect of Bodø/Glimt's build-up is the advanced position of their defenders. This setup favors counter-pressing, as the team is positioned closer to the midfield. Having more players in the center ready to win the ball back makes it difficult for opponents to organize their play. Furthermore, the high defensive line reduces the distance between players, shortening the time and length of passes and preventing opponents from pushing their own defense forward.

Playing Through the Regista

Bodø/Glimt consistently tries to play the ball through their defensive midfielder, Patrick Berg, making his role fundamental to their progression. By serving the midfielder, the team quickly establishes control in the center, using him as a pivot to connect defense and attack. Berg is highly mobile and moves strategically to always be available to the central defenders, bypassing the first line of the opponent's press and ensuring fluid transitions.

The Opposite Full-back's Inversion

The use of the full-back on the weak side (the side opposite to where the ball is) is a distinctive feature of Knutsen's tactics. In these situations, the full-back tucks into the midfield, providing numerical support and improving the team's shape. This movement helps Bodø/Glimt maintain balance and prevents large gaps from opening up, while also preparing for potential counter-attacks. The full-back who moves centrally offers an additional passing option and acts as a safety valve in case of a quick opponent transition.
Additionally, Bodø/Glimt often uses their full-backs to switch the play. Shifting the ball to the weak side allows them to bypass congested central areas, where the full-back can receive the ball with more space to advance and seek one-two passes with teammates or runs from the attackers.

Finding the "Pockets"

Knutsen's players always look for the so-called "pockets", which are the spaces between the opposition's defensive and midfield lines, to find the central midfielders in advanced positions. By positioning themselves intelligently in these areas, the midfielders can turn quickly and face the opponent's goal, creating opportunities for through balls, runs, or shots. This forces the opposition defense to make difficult decisions: if a defender steps up to press, they open a space behind them; if they stay back, they give the Bodø/Glimt midfielder time and space.
Numerical Superiority in Attack

Another key aspect of Bodø/Glimt's high build-up is their ability to create numerical superiority against the opponent's defensive line. The two central midfielders often move forward, forming a 1-4-1-5 shape, which results in a five-player attacking line. Against a back four, this setup naturally creates a numerical advantage.
For example, Bodø/Glimt uses counter-movements between the winger and the central midfielder to exploit this advantage. When a full-back has the ball, the central midfielder can attack the space behind while the winger drops. This creates a dilemma for the opposing full-back: if they step up to mark the winger, they open up space behind them for the central midfielder's run; if they stay back to cover the run, the ball can be played to the winger, who can turn and attack the defense.

Offensive Phase - The Final Third
Wide Overloads

Bodø/Glimt excels at creating wide overloads to generate scoring opportunities. By pushing multiple players, including wingers, central midfielders, and overlapping full-backs, into wide areas, they outnumber opponents. This tactic breaks down defenses by drawing opponents out of position and opening up central spaces. With quick, precise passing and well-timed off-the-ball movements, Bodø/Glimt exploits these overloads to deliver crosses or cutbacks into the box, finding teammates who make runs and creating high-quality scoring chances.

Overlaps

Overlaps are another key tactic for creating opportunities. Full-backs overlap the wingers, providing an extra attacking option and creating two-on-one situations against the opponent's full-back. This move forces the defending full-back to choose whether to mark the winger or the overlapping full-back. If the defender drops to cover the overlap, the winger can cut inside. If they stay central, the ball can easily be played to the overlapping player, who can then cross.

Underlaps

Bodø/Glimt also uses underlaps, with runs from central midfielders or full-backs into the space between the opponent's full-back and central defender. When the winger receives the ball out wide, they attract the opponent's full-back, opening up space for a teammate to make an underlapping run. The ball can then be played to the underlapping player, who can cross or attack the defense one-on-one. This run can also draw an opponent's defensive midfielder away, freeing up space in the middle, allowing the winger to cut inside and shoot or find a free teammate.
Many Players in the Box
Midfielders and wingers always look to make runs into the box in the final third, often getting four or five players into these areas to create numerical superiority. This large presence increases the chances of headers, volleys, or simple tap-ins, making it harder for opposing defenders to mark everyone effectively.
Knutsen also positions many players outside the box to collect second balls and cut-backs. Bodø/Glimt's wide attacking play often pushes the opponent's defense deep, opening up space in front of the defensive line. In these areas, midfielders and sometimes full-backs can collect loose balls or be directly served with cut-backs, from which they can shoot or combine with an attacker to create a scoring opportunity.

Defensive Phase
High Press

Bodø/Glimt usually seeks to press high up the pitch. Their pressing structure varies depending on the opponent, but the basic formation is a 1-4-1-3-2. When play begins, the attackers try to close down one opposing central defender with angled pressing runs, forcing the opponent to one side. Bodø/Glimt presses intensely and aggressively when the ball goes to one of the opponent's full-backs. The wide midfielder on the ball side steps up to press, while the rest of the midfield shifts to close off passing lanes. This leaves the opponent's full-back with few options, often forcing a rushed long ball, which Bodø/Glimt's defense, in numerical superiority, is skilled at recovering.


Transitions

Defensive Transitions

Bodø/Glimt is excellent in defensive transitions. Having many players in advanced positions and close to the ball, the team is well-suited for counter-pressing. Knutsen's players are very aggressive in the first seconds after losing possession. The four or five closest players immediately swarm the opponent with the ball, closing down passing lanes. This approach disrupts the opponent's transition from defense to attack, forcing errors and creating opportunities to win the ball back in dangerous areas.

Offensive Transitions

Knutsen also wants his team to counter-attack in offensive transitions. After winning the ball back, the team transitions quickly from defense to attack, leveraging the speed and movements of their forward players. Bodø/Glimt's counter-attacks are well-organized, with players making intelligent off-the-ball runs to create overloads.
Additionally, the players are good at finding open spaces. Instead of playing the ball straight forward where opposing defenders might still be positioned, they prefer a diagonal pass that allows the team to bypass pressure and move the play into open areas, from which attackers can combine to create a goal-scoring opportunity. Bodø/Glimt's aggression means many players are in advanced positions, allowing them to participate in more counter-attacks.

Conclusion

Kjetil Knutsen's tactical approach has transformed Bodø/Glimt into a formidable team, known for its high-energy playing style and disciplined organization. His emphasis on fluid offensive movements, effective pressing, and versatile formations has allowed Bodø/Glimt to compete on equal terms both domestically and in European competitions.
Knutsen's ability to maximize player potential and foster a cohesive team spirit has been crucial to Bodø/Glimt's success. The team's tactical structure and adaptability highlight the strategic depth and vision Knutsen brings to the game. As Bodø/Glimt continues to evolve under his leadership, the team's tactical journey remains a compelling story that demonstrates the impact of innovative coaching and strategic discipline in modern football.

Bodo Glimt 2024-25 by Kjetil Knutsen on Football Manager 2024
This guide is designed to replicate Kjetil Knutsen's tactics for Bodø/Glimt in Football Manager 24, focusing on high-energy attack, intense pressing, and positional fluidity.

Formation
• Base formation: 4-3-3
• Player Roles and Instructions:
o Goalkeeper: Sweeper Keeper (Support) - To help with short build-up play and manage space behind the high defensive line.
o Right Center Back: Central Defender (Defend) - No instructions. Covers spaces and is more focused on defense.
o Left Center Back: Ball Playing Defender (Defend) - No instructions. More involved in building from the back.
o Left Full-back: Complete Wing-Back (Attack) - Tackle Harder. Provides width, overlaps on the left flank, stretching the opponent's defense while the attacking winger cuts inside.
o Right Full-back: Inverted Wing-Back (Defend) - Tackle Harder. To tuck inside during possession, creating a back three and overloading the midfield.
o Defensive Midfielder: Deep-Lying Playmaker (Support) - No instructions. The team's pivot, needs excellent passing and vision (like Patrick Berg).
o Right Central Midfielder: Box-to-Box Midfielder (Support) - Stay Wider, Tackle Harder. The "Stay Wider" instruction asks the player to cover the right flank and "Tackle Harder" to press opponents.
o Left Central Midfielder: Central Midfielder (Attack) - Stay Wider, Roam from Position, Tackle Harder. The Glimt mezzalas constantly make runs into spaces between the opponent's lines.
o Left Winger: Inverted Winger (Attack) - Roam from Position, Tackle Harder.
o Right Winger: Inside Forward (Attack) - Stay Wider, Roam from Position, Tackle Harder. Since the right back tucks inside, it's the right winger's job to provide width.
o Striker: Pressing Forward (Attack) - Roam from Position. The striker must be dynamic, press defenders, and create space for teammates' runs.


Team Instructions
• Mentality: Positive
o This mentality allows you to control the game without conceding too much on the counter-attack.
In Possession:
• Passing: Shorter
• Tempo: Higher
• Width: Fairly Wide
• Pass Into Space: To exploit the movement of attackers into the spaces between the opponent's lines.
• Overlap: To utilize the overlaps of the full-backs, especially the left-back.
• Play Out of Defence: To build from the back as required by Knutsen.
• Crosses: Low - To take advantage of runs from deep.
• Work Ball Into Box: To patiently build up offensive actions without taking risks.
• Be More Expressive: Giving more freedom to attacking players allows them to make the most of their individual abilities.
In Transition:
• After Possession is Lost: Counter-Press
• After Possession is Won: Counter
• Goalkeeper Distribution: Distribute to Centre-Backs and Take Short Kicks.
Out of Possession:
• Line of Engagement: Much Higher
• Defensive Line: Higher Defensive Line (keeps the two lines compact, reducing available space for opponents).
• Pressing: Much More Often
• Step Up: Asks the defense to push up to force opponents back.
• Force Opposition Outside: To force opponents to play the ball down the flanks where it's easier to win it back.
• Prevent Short GK Distribution.

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