2018 Eliteserien Explained

Competition:Eliteserien
Season:2018
Winners:Rosenborg
26th title
Relegated:Sandefjord
Start
Continentalcup1:Champions League
Continentalcup1 Qualifiers:Rosenborg
Continentalcup2:Europa League
Continentalcup2 Qualifiers:Molde
Brann
Haugesund
Matches:240
Total Goals:672
League Topscorer:Franck Boli
(17 goals)
Biggest Home Win:
(11 March 2018)
Biggest Away Win:
(14 April 2018)
Highest Scoring:
(14 April 2018)
Longest Wins:Brann
(7 games)
Longest Unbeaten:Brann
(14 games)
Longest Winless:Sandefjord
(15 games)
Longest Losses:Sandefjord
(8 games)
Highest Attendance:21,201

(5 May 2018)
Lowest Attendance:1,393

(19 August 2018)
Average Attendance:5,865 12.4%
Prevseason:2017
Nextseason:2019
Dates:11 March – 24 November

The 2018 Eliteserien was the 74th completed season of top-tier football in Norway. This was second season of Eliteserien as rebranding from Tippeligaen.

The season began on 11 March and ended 24 November 2018, not including play-off matches.[1] Fixtures for the 2018 season were announced on 19 December 2017.[2] Rosenborg were the defending champions, while Bodø/Glimt, Start and Ranheim entered as the promoted teams from the 2017 1. divisjon.

Rosenborg won their fourth consecutive title, their 26th top-flight title overall, with one match to spare following a 1–0 away win against Start on 11 November 2018.[3]

Overview

Summary

Brann started the season well and won eight of their nine opening games. They lost their first match 0–4 against Molde in the 15th round. Rosenborg started the season poorly with no win in the first three games, but managed to tighten the gap to Brann. Head coach Kåre Ingebrigtsen was sacked on 19 July[4] although Rosenborg was placed second in the league, two points behind Brann at the time.

On 11 November, Rosenborg were confirmed as Eliteserien champions following their 1–0 away win against Start in the 29th round. They won their fourth consecutive title and 26th top-flight title overall. Molde won eight of their final nine games and finished in second place, five points behind Rosenborg.

Sandefjord were the first team to be relegated to the 1. divisjon when they drew 1–1 against Sarpsborg 08 in their penultimate game. Before the 30th and final round, five teams were in risk of either relegation or relegation play-offs. Start lost 1–3 away to Haugesund and was relegated as the second team from bottom. Stabæk drew 2–2 against Strømsgodset after a goal by Strømsgodset's Mustafa Abdellaoue in the last minute of the game. That goal made sure Strømsgodset retained their spot in the next season's Eliteserien, while Stabæk were forced to play relegation play-offs.[5] Stabæk won the play-offs against Aalesund 2–1 on aggregate and retained their spot in Eliteserien.

Teams

Sixteen teams competed in the league – the top thirteen teams from the previous season, and three teams promoted from 1. divisjon. The promoted teams were Bodø/Glimt, Start (both returning to the top flight after a season's absence) and Ranheim (returned to the top flight after an absence of sixty-one years). They replaced Sogndal, Aalesund and Viking ending their top flight spells of two, eleven and twenty-nine years respectively.

Stadia and locations

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.

TeamLocationArenaTurfCapacity
Bodø/Glimt23BodøAspmyra StadionArtificial5,635
Brann61BergenBrann StadionNatural12,914[6]
Haugesund12HaugesundHaugesund StadionNatural8,754
Kristiansund2KristiansundKristiansund StadionArtificial4,277
Lillestrøm55LillestrømÅråsen StadionNatural11,500
Molde42MoldeAker StadionArtificial11,249
Odd37SkienSkagerak ArenaArtificial11,767
Ranheim8TrondheimEXTRA ArenaArtificial3,000
Rosenborg55TrondheimLerkendal StadionNatural21,421
Sandefjord7SandefjordKomplett ArenaNatural6,582
Sarpsborg 087SarpsborgSarpsborg StadionArtificial8,022
Stabæk22BærumNadderud StadionNatural4,938
Start41KristiansandSør ArenaArtificial14,448
Strømsgodset31DrammenMarienlyst StadionArtificial8,935
Tromsø31TromsøAlfheim StadionArtificial6,687
Vålerenga58OsloIntility ArenaArtificial16,555
Notes

Personnel and kits

TeamManagerCaptainKit manufacturerSponsor
Bodø/Glimt Kjetil Knutsen Martin BjørnbakDiadoraSparebanken Nord-Norge
Brann Lars Arne Nilsen Vito WormgoorNikeSparebanken Vest
Haugesund Eirik Horneland Christian GrindheimMacronHaugaland Kraft
Kristiansund Christian Michelsen Dan Peter UlvestadMacronSpareBank 1 Nordvest
Lillestrøm Jörgen Lennartsson Frode KippePumaDNB
Molde Ole Gunnar Solskjær Ruben GabrielsenNikeSparebanken Møre
Odd Dag-Eilev Fagermo Steffen HagenHummelSpareBank 1 Telemark
Ranheim Svein Maalen Mads ReginiussenUmbroSpareBank 1 SMN
Rosenborg Rini Coolen (interim) Mike JensenAdidasSpareBank 1 SMN
Sandefjord Martí Cifuentes Håvard StorbækMacronJotun
Sarpsborg 08 Geir Bakke Patrick MortensenSelectBorregaard
Stabæk Andreas Hanche-OlsenMacronSpareBank 1 Østlandet
Start Kjetil Rekdal Simon LarsenMacronSparebanken Sør
Strømsgodset Bjørn Petter Ingebretsen Jakob GlesnesPumaDNB
Tromsø Simo Valakari Simen WangbergSelectSparebanken Nord-Norge
Vålerenga Ronny Deila Daniel Fredheim HolmUmbroDNB

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Table Incoming manager Date of appointment Table
Start Mick Priest (interim)End of caretaker spell1 December 2017[7] Pre-season Mark Dempsey1 December 2017[8] Pre-season
Sandefjord Lars BohinenSigned by Aalesund20 December 2017[9] Magnus Powell16 January 2018[10]
Sandefjord Magnus PowellSacked25 April 2018[11] 12th Geir Ludvig Fevang (interim)27 April 201812th
Start Mark DempseySacked18 May 2018[12] 16th Johannes Hardarson (interim)19 May 201816th
Sandefjord Geir Ludvig Fevang (interim)End of caretaker spell31 May 2018[13] 16th Martí Cifuentes31 May 201816th
Start Johannes Hardarson (interim)End of caretaker spell1 June 2018[14] 15th Kjetil Rekdal1 June 201815th
StrømsgodsetResigned6 June 2018[15] 12th Bjørn Petter Ingebretsen7 June 2018[16] 12th
LillestrømSacked26 June 2018[17] 13th Arild Sundgot (interim)26 June 201813th
StabækSacked27 June 2018[18] 14th Jan Peder Jalland (interim)
Gaute Larsen (interim)
28 June 2018[19] 14th
Stabæk Jan Peder Jalland (interim)
Gaute Larsen (interim)
End of caretaker spell4 July 201814th4 July 2018[20] 14th
Lillestrøm Arild Sundgot (interim)End of caretaker spell13 July 201813th Jörgen Lennartsson13 July 2018[21] 13th
Rosenborg Kåre IngebrigtsenSacked19 July 20182nd Rini Coolen (interim)19 July 2018[22] 2nd

Transfers

Winter

See main article: List of Norwegian football transfers winter 2017–18.

Summer

See main article: List of Norwegian football transfers summer 2018.

League table

Relegation play-offs

See main article: 2018 Eliteserien promotion/relegation play-offs. The 14th-placed team, Stabæk takes part in a two-legged play-off against Aalesund, the winners of the 1. divisjon promotion play-offs, to decide who will play in the 2019 Eliteserien.

Stabæk won 2–1 on aggregate and retained their position in Eliteserien.

Season statistics

Top scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals[23] GamesAverage
1 Franck BoliStabæk17290,59
2 Marcus PedersenStrømsgodset14230,61
3 Erling HaalandMolde12250,48
Patrick MortensenSarpsborg 0812280,43
Thomas Lehne OlsenLillestrøm12290,41
6 Sam JohnsonVålerenga11240,46
Daouda BambaKristiansund/Brann11290,38
8 Bård FinneVålerenga10250,40
Kristian Fardal OpsethBodø/Glimt10300,30
10 Mads ReginiussenRanheim9260,35
Steffen Lie SkålevikBrann9280,32
Bendik ByeKristiansund9300,30
David AkintolaHaugesund9300,30

Hat-tricks

See main article: List of Eliteserien hat-tricks.

PlayerFor Against Result Date
Strømsgodset Odd 3–0 (H)
Erling Haaland4 Molde Brann 4–0 (A)
Kristiansund Strømsgodset 3–2 (A)
Notes4 Player scored 4 goals
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

Clean sheets

RankPlayerClubClean
sheets
1 André HansenRosenborg12
2 Samuel Şahin-RadlingerBrann11
3 Adam Larsen KwaraseyVålerenga10
4 Per Kristian BråtveitHaugesund9
5 Andreas LindeMolde8
Sondre RossbachOdd
7 Jonas DeumelandStart5
Aslak FalchSarpsborg 08
Gudmund KongshavnTromsø
Sean McDermottKristiansund
11 Espen Bugge PettersenStrømsgodset4
12 Even BarliRanheim3
Matvei IgonenLillestrøm3
RicardoBodø/Glimt3
Marko MaricLillestrøm3
Aleksandr VasyutinSarpsborg 083
17 Morten SætraStrømsgodset2
Mandé SayoubaStabæk2
19 Robert SandbergStabæk1
Markus PettersenBrann1
Mathias Eriksen RanmarkMolde1
Helge SandvikHaugesund1-->

Discipline

Player

Club

Attendances

Awards

AwardWinnerClub
Player of the Year André Hansen[28] Rosenborg
Breakthrough of the Year Erling Haaland[29] Molde
Manager of the Year Svein Maalen[30] Ranheim
Goal of the Year Jon-Helge Tveita[31] Sarpsborg 08

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hovedterminliste menn 2018 . fotball.no.
  2. Web site: Terminlisten er klar: Slik spilles Eliteserien 2018. aftenposten.no. Aftenposten. 8 June 2018. no. 19 December 2017.
  3. Web site: Rosenborg vant Eliteserien: – Det har vært et vanvittig turbulent år . no . NRK Sport . NRK . 11 November 2018 . 7 May 2019.
  4. News: Styrelederen om sparkingen av Ingebrigtsen: – Ubehagelig og tøft . no. NRK . 19 July 2018 . 20 July 2018.
  5. News: Strømsgodset reddet Eliteserie-kontrakten på overtid – sendte Stabæk til kvalik . no. Eurosport . eurosport.no . 24 November 2018 . 27 November 2018.
  6. The capacity of Brann Stadion was reduced from 17,686 to 12,914 due to renovations.
  7. Web site: Mark Dempsey tar over Start. www.tv2.no. TV 2 (Norway). 1 December 2017. no. 1 December 2017.
  8. Web site: Mark Dempsey tar over start. www.tv2.no. TV 2 (Norway). 1 December 2017. no. 1 December 2017.
  9. Web site: Lars Bohinen ny Aafk-trener. www.aafk.no. Aalesunds FK. 13 March 2018. no. 20 December 2017.
  10. Web site: Magnus Powell blir ny hovedtrener. www.sandefjordfotball.no. Sandefjord Fotball. 13 March 2018. no. 16 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131353/http://www.sandefjordfotball.no/nyheter/magnus-powell-blir-ny-hovedtrener. 2018-01-17. dead.
  11. Web site: Magnus Powell ferdig i Sandefjord: - Kjemien ikke helt på topp. www.vg.no. VG. 28 April 2018. no. 25 April 2018.
  12. Web site: Start og Dempsey skiller lag. www.ikstart.no. IK Start. 18 May 2018. no. 18 May 2018.
  13. Web site: Spanske Cifuentes er Sandefjords nye trener. Spaniard Cifuentes is Sandefjord's new head coach. www.vg.no. VG. 31 May 2018. no. 31 May 2018.
  14. Web site: Rekdal: – Posisjonen til Start trigget meg. www.fvn.no. Fædrelandsvennen]. 1 June 2018. no. 1 June 2018.
  15. News: Skullerud ferdig i Strømsgodset: – Ugunstig tidspunkt. no. . 6 June 2018 . 7 June 2018.
  16. News: "BP" blir Godset-vikar. no. TV2 . 7 June 2018 . 7 June 2018.
  17. News: Ferdig i Lillestrøm . no. Dagbladet . 26 June 2018 . 29 June 2018.
  18. News: Stabæk-Ordinas ble tatt på sengen: – Ja, jeg fikk sparken. no. Verdens Gang . 27 June 2018 . 28 June 2018.
  19. News: Gaute Larsen skal hjelpe trenerløse Stabæk. no. . 28 June 2018 . 28 June 2018.
  20. News: Henning Berg ny Stabæk-trener. no. . 5 July 2018 . 5 July 2018.
  21. News: Lennartsson tar over Lillestrøm . no. Dagbladet . 13 July 2018 . 13 July 2018.
  22. News: Rosenborgs trenervikar ble spurt om å steppe inn torsdag morgen . no. Aftenposten . 19 July 2018 . 20 July 2018.
  23. Web site: Toppscorerliste . nifs.no . . no . 5 December 2019.
  24. Web site: Eliteserien 2018 - Toppscorer, gule og røde kort . Norwegian Football Association . 9 April 2018.
  25. Web site: Eliteserien 2018 Statistikk . altomfotball.no . 9 April 2018.
  26. Web site: Eliteserien 2018 Råeste lag . altomfotball.no . 4 May 2018.
  27. Web site: Eliteserien 2018 Statistikk . altomfotball.no . 9 April 2018.
  28. Web site: Rosenborg-keeper ble årets spiller i Eliteserien. 25 November 2018. 30 November 2018. www.aftenposten.no. no.
  29. Web site: Håland vant "Årets gjennombrudd"!. 25 November 2018. 30 November 2018. www.moldefk.no. no.
  30. Web site: Maalen årets trener i Eliteserien. 25 November 2018. 30 November 2018. www.ranheimfotball.no. no.
  31. Web site: Tveita med årets mål i Eliteserien 2018. 25 November 2018. 5 December 2019. www.sarpsborg08.no. no.