Molde’s European Exploits Signalling a Return to Form?
Ahead of the new Eliteserien season, we look back at Molde FK’s performances in Europe and analyze whether this suggests there are reasons to be hopeful for an improved domestic showing in 2024.
After Molde eventually breezed past Polish side Legia Warsaw 6-2 on aggregate to reach the UEFA Conference League Round of 16, they became the last remaining Norwegian hope in Europe this season.
In 2023, all the eyes in Norway were mostly on teams such as Bodø/Glimt, Tromsø, Brann and even Viking. From a domestic league perspective, Molde had a disappointing season as defending champions, finishing as low as 5th position.
However, a decent European run which nearly saw them qualify for the Champions League - only to be edged out by Turkish giants Galatasaray in the play-off round - helped soothe their problems. They also had another Norwegian Cup success, beating rivals Glimt 1-0 in the final which ensured they qualified for Europe again next season.
Success against Legia
Heading into the tie against Legia Warsaw, it was considered a 50/50 game with no team an outright favourite to progress to the next round. Molde came out of the traps very quickly in the first leg, racing into a 3-0 lead by half time, before Legia reduced the advantage to 3-2 by the final whistle.
Molde racked up 1.59 xG in the first half but only 0.03 after the break. The Norwegians employed a 5-3-2 system and targeted Legia through the middle of the park with 57% of attacks coming centrally. The 3-4-2-1 flat midfield used by Legia was simply overpowered by numbers, a high duel success rate and certainly in the first half some impressive Molde pass accuracy.
The second leg was a similar story. Molde started out really strong and the Norwegians raced into a 2-0 advantage early on. From that stage onwards they could control the match, but their dominance again stemmed from a powerful midfield system. 63% of their attacks were through the middle of the park and they restricted Legia to just 0.01 xG from their offensive central play.
Molde’s three man midfield of Kaasa, Moller-Daehli and Hestad was too much for the flat midfield four which Legia persisted with for far too long. In both legs, Molde took advantage of the high formation line which Legia employed. The Polish outfit regularly had an average line of 60 metres and above. Molde attackers such as Gulbrandsen and Berisha were able to get in behind and create a high xG.
Having a full winter break and early season preparations for 2024 appears to have done him the world of good. Gulbrandsen looked excellent and deadly in both ties vs Legia. He got himself into some excellent positions with a combined xG of 2.44 and converted that into four goals.
With 5 of out 7 shots on target he did not waste opportunities and Molde clearly have an in-form and confident striker in their ranks. With plenty of experience and class he looks primed for an excellent campaign.
Quarter Finals - A step too far
In the round of 16, Molde faced Belgian side Club Brugge, a side who have already come up against Norwegian opponents this season. They twice beat 2023 champions Bodø/Glimt so the chances of the Blauw-Zwart being fazed by another trip to Scandinavia was unlikely.
Going into the tie, the Belgian outfit sat third in the Jupiler Pro League but, given that there are clearly other teams in the country better than them this season, it still appeared to be a winnable tie for Molde, who felt sharper as they worked towards the start of their own domestic season.
A late winner from the aforementioned in-form Gulbrandsen gave Molde a 2-1 win at home, boosting hope of a place in the quarter-finals. However, a 3-0 win in the reverse tie saw the Belgians triumph 4-2 on aggregate and progress to the next round, leaving Molde to reflect on what could have been.
Hope renewed for the new season
Despite only a fifth placed finish last year, Molde are definitely on par with Glimt as one of the top two teams in the nation and will harbour strong ambitions of a better showing in the 2024 Eliteserien.
Last year was the first time in seven seasons that Molde finished outside of the top two positions. In the 20/21 campaign they reached the last 16 of the Europa League and they have built up a wealth of European experience in recent years. It’s within their reach to build on their latest campaign and progress further in Europe, representing Norway which is now ranked as high as 15th in the UEFA Coefficient.
