Ahead of the 2021 season, we spoke with Bodø/Glimt and Norway midfielder Patrick Berg.
Located within the Arctic Circle, Bodø/Glimt is no ordinary football club, and Patrick Berg is no ordinary Glimt player. The midfielder is the third-generation Berg to play for the club, but the first to win a league title.
“I personally have a long history with the club, and my family does as well, so I feel like I have it in my veins, the Glimt blood.
“My grandad and his teammates had to go through a lot to get the club into the Norwegian league. Before the early 70s it was only the northern Norwegian teams playing together and the south of Norway playing together.
“The way they brought pride to people in the northern region when they won the cup in 1975 I think stands as the most important time in our history as a club. But, of course last season as well, me and my teammates did something really important in terms of the club’s history.”
Bodø/Glimt didn’t just win the Norwegian league last year (and notably, the first title in the club’s history). They dominated it. Breaking just about every record you can think of along the way: most goals scored in a season, most points, biggest title winning margin — statistically, no other club in Norway has done anything like it. But as their captain, Berg says they’re not finished yet.
“I think if you start focusing on results and titles, you’d be quite happy when you win the Norwegian league, and you might think, ‘Okay, what else can we do?’ When we’re focused on performance instead of results, we never want to stop.”
Glimt’s innovative approach to mental training and mindfulness, led by former fighter pilot turned mental coach Bjørn Mannsverk, does away with the results-based mentality and usual goal-setting for the season, focusing instead on the quality of performances alone. The approach includes meditation before training, group meetings, and one-on-one sessions focusing on techniques to improve performance and development.
And as they embark on their biggest challenge yet: a title defence and Champions League qualification campaign, it’s this training regime which Berg credits for keeping pressure off of the players.
“We are really, really precise about what our focus should be. And when you have that focus, you don’t think about consequences and what could happen. You actually focus on your tasks as a football player — and that personally for me takes away a lot of the pressure that is coming from the outside.”
As is typical in leagues the size of the Eliteserien, Glimt had their best players snapped up by teams abroad as Jens Petter Hauge, Philip Zinckernagel, and Kasper Junker all left (to AC Milan, Watford, and Urawa Red Diamonds, respectively) after scoring a combined 60 goals in 2020. That means Glimt will be taking on Champions League competition with a new attack. But, Berg isn’t worried about embedding new players.
“I think every new guy who is coming in is probably a little bit nervous and anxious about where they fit in in the group, that’s just how we are as human beings. I think my role, as well as the other players who are more established, is that we have to take care of every single person who comes into our group.
“We all want the same thing — we want to be the best possible version of ourselves, and I don’t think that’s possible if people are scared of being themselves. That’s the message we give to every new guy that comes in, just be yourself.
“Our mindset has helped us a lot, and I feel that the new players coming in adapt really quickly. They feel safe in our environment. We just want to push each other forward, and if someone makes a mistake or does something stupid, it’s okay, it’s acceptable in this club. I think the way we go about things in our club is really healthy.”
The new additions will need to be firing early, as Glimt’s Champions League campaign begins in June, something which Berg has dared to dream of for years.
“Back in 2016 I said to the club’s homepage that my dream one day was to play in the Champions League with Bodø/Glimt. That was actually right after we got relegated, so I don’t think anybody believed me that it would be possible, and only four years later.
“Personally, my hope is that we dare to be ourselves, and we dare to play our football. Even if we meet teams that are supposed to be better than us, I think going into Europe and suddenly starting to play in a different way, that’s not us. And I don’t think that’s the way to go about it. I would be extremely disappointed if we go out in the qualifying stages feeling that we could have done more. My hopes are just that we give it our all and see how far it takes us.”
And at home in the Eliteserien, no one is expecting Glimt’s title-defence to be straightforward, with an incredibly deep Molde side, a reinvigorated Rosenborg, and an ascending Vålerenga.
“I think our way is to just focus on ourselves and try to develop our play even more. But, the other teams have really strengthened their squads. I think it’s going to be a really, really fun season for everyone who follows Norwegian football.” says Berg.
The new season sees the return of an Arctic Circle rivalry as Glimt host their closest neighbours, Tromsø, on Sunday.
“Probably the best way to start a new season is at home against Tromsø,” says Berg. “I think they have been looking really good in preseason. Hopefully for them and for us we can both have good seasons and really put northern Norway on the map.”
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