The story of this Champions League season is undoubtedly Bodo/Glimt, the Norwegian side from a town of 40,000 people, who just knocked out Inter Milan.
This was no smash and grab. It was a convincing performance over two legs ending in an emphatic 5-2 win on aggregate.
In their last four games, Bodo/Glimt have beaten Man City, Atletico Madrid, and now Inter twice.
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Manager Kjetil Knutsen has worked magic with this team, and he passes some of the credit on to Liverpool, and specifically Jurgen Klopp, whose style he has looked to replicate, and oh how it has worked.
Kjetil Knutsen explains why Klopp’s Liverpool are his reference
Norway’s football off-season is winter time, when the weather conditions are just not conducive with the demands of a league season.
Some say Bodo/Glimt have an edge in this regard, fully able to focus on the Champions League. The flipside, however, is that they are not playing games and therefore run the risk of rust.
That hasn’t been the case, though, and their success can be attributed in large part to their front-footed, pressing style, which Knutsen says is inspired by Liverpool.
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Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
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He said in his pre-match press conference: “It is a path we have chosen to take, and it is about a lot of things. It is a clear identity. It requires tough training, that you work on the field functionally and at high intensity as often as you can.
“Also, the rhythm of the match will always be decisive in that regard. It is inspired by many, including Klopp and Liverpool, who we look to mirror in many ways.”
Klopp has reached four Champions League finals, three of which were during his time at Anfield.
That kind of consistent dominance proves his footballing philosophy works in Europe. Knutsen’s decision to replicate that dominance is paying off in spades.
Bodo/Glimt show why individual quality isn’t enough for Liverpool
Not just the Reds, every team in Europe can take a lesson from this fairytale run.
Liverpool spent big last summer, and have some of the best individuals in Europe, but football is about much more than that.
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Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen (£116m)
Hugo Ekitike – Eintracht Frankfurt (£79m)
Milos Kerkez – Bournemouth (£40m)
Jeremie Frimpong – Bayer Leverkusen (£29.5m)
Giovanni Leoni – Parma (£26m)
Alexander Isak – Newcastle United (£125m)
Giorgi Mamardashvili – Valencia (£29m)
Hugo Ekitike gestures towards the Liverpool crowd after scoring during the Premier League match against Newcastle at Anfield.
Credit: Stu Forster/ Getty Images
Bodo/Glimt aren’t getting lucky — they are a well-oiled machine and a side that takes the game to their opponents, regardless of their pedigree.
It shows where Liverpool have struggled this season, often looking like a collection of individuals as opposed to a cohesive unit. That’s something Arne Slot needs to fix for Liverpool to go far in the Champions League.
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