BODØ (VG) Erik Botheim (21) scored again and has three points more than the next man on the list in the conference league. Now the old club Rosenborg is waiting.
– It would be very special for me, I haven’t been there since February. Then, says Bothim, it would be great to meet old acquaintances again and play for Lerkendale 2-0 win over CSKA Sofia.
A pass from Ola Solbakken allowed Botheim to score his fourth goal of the tournament. With four assists in addition to being the most productive player in the entire tournament.
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– It’s incredibly fun with Botheim, because he gave a top-level performance in Europe. He’s been too good for us on the series too, but there is just something about Botheim. Perhaps he is an international player. Budo/Glimt trainer, Kjetil Knutsen, says that the higher the level, the better.
– I think I’ve been usable all year, but of course it’s a bit cool when Aspmyra is the way it is, in a good mood. I think the whole team picks up when it gets a little cooler, says Bothheim himself.
Knutsen thinks Bothheim has improved on most things: the 21-year-old has shown that he can use his fitness to keep the ball.
In the 2-0 win over Lillstrom last weekend, he also showed a nimble striker before firing the ball elegantly past Mads Heidenstadt Kristiansen.
– There is something about his energy. He is mentally strong and very good at pushing himself. He takes part in a large number of matches. The development he has seen since coming to Bodø / Glimt is absolutely remarkable.
Bodø/Glimt coach believes there is no limit to how good Botheim can be.
– He is a boy who is constantly developing his musical repertoire. He has just absorbed the culture and is the type who wants to learn every day. You can’t always work with this type of player. It was love at first sight. Everything is a sound.
Knutsen answers in the negative to the question whether Butheim has gotten heavier and has more muscle, but confirms that he has become more trained.
Team captain Patrick Berg (24) thinks a lot is sitting between his ears.
I feel he has taken steps in everything related to the leadership role. Performing fight after fight is mostly about the mentality, not that we’ve gotten insanely much better over the years, but rather that we mentally understand what it takes to perform. He helped all the players in the group here.
Bothem himself gives credit to his teammates and coaches.
As a striker, you depend on having a good team around you, I feel the relationships are as they should be now and it’s only natural that I lift myself up when the team lifts. It is connected. The group of players has been good to me, taught me how to play and teased me.
Now Rosenborg is waiting for Lerkendal, as he ended up completely out in the cold and was released for free this winter.
– How will your ignition level be on Sunday?
– I understand that the question is coming, for me I have the same focus on getting better. I think we lead the same style no matter who stands at the other half of the track, says Bothheim.
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