LILLESTRØM (VG) A long streak of winning streak without defeat and a huge gap from many of the medal rivals created optimism in Romerike. Then the trend reversed. What happened to Lillestrøm?
– We just have to lick our wounds and come back stronger.
This is what Lillestrøm manager Geir Bakke told VG after the 0-2 loss to Odd in Åråsen. Rosenborg’s 3–2 win over Bodø / Glimt means a small miracle is needed for LSK to win a medal.
Few would have believed when the Canaries led the table after eight wins and three draws in their first eleven games.
– If you divide the season into three, we have collected too few points in the last ten games, Bakke acknowledges.
At most, Lillestrøm were 11 and 13 points behind Bodø / Glimt and Rosenborg respectively, both with a match to their credit.
If you take the last ten matches, Lillestrøm have only won four matches and played a draw. Only HamKam (12), Strømsgodset (8), Viking (5), Jerv (5) and Sandefjord (2) scored fewer points than Lillestrøm (13) in the period.
– It is terribly boring to be in such a good position in the middle and then end up taking the boring fourth place again this year, says Lillestrøm goalkeeper Mads Hedenstad Christiansen.
LSK manager Geir Bakke believes that “some of the dynamism was lost for a time” when Lillestrøm injured several notable players, such as Akor Adams.
At the same time, it is very clear that he does not want to use it as an excuse.
– When you suffer a lot of injuries, you train even fewer people and that can also impact matches, says Bakke – and adds:
– There are probably a lot of little things we can complain about, but now I have to be careful, so I don’t swim fully and look for a lot of excuses. We weren’t good enough today.
When asked if he had thought about what Lillestrøm could have done differently, the answer is as follows:
– You can always try to analyze why you were injured. There have been a number of acute injuries, such as pure trampling. There were no wear items and it is difficult to protect yourself. We can certainly argue whether we could have been even smarter in the summer window, but it’s also expensive and we have a team we trust, says Bakke – and continues:
– When it comes to the way we act and play, we try both to adapt to the opponent, but also to develop our style. I don’t think I have an answer now that we could do very differently from a footballing point of view now. Maybe so, but I think we got a lot out of the human resources we have here.
Captain Gjermund Åsen says the team “needs to make a proper assessment”, but thinks it is difficult to draw conclusions shortly after the game ends.
– We have to meet again tomorrow, look in the mirror and see what we can do better, says Trønder.
– We have to improve, we have to get stronger, but I have nothing to criticize for the group around here for how hard they work every single day. We have to take into account that we will probably be number four just two years after the promotion, although of course a miracle can happen, says Bakke.
