My Bodo/Glimt Experiment
Spent a good chunk of my afternoon messing around with Bodo/Glimt, specifically how they line up against other teams. You know, the whole “Bodo/Glimt vs” thing. Wasn’t watching a live match or anything, more like trying to figure out their secret sauce myself.
So, I decided to boot up my trusty football management sim. Thought I’d try and get a virtual team playing like them. Sounded easy, right? Wrong. Took me ages just getting the basic formation looking somewhat similar on the tactics board.
Setting Things Up
First thing, I set the formation. Went for something like their usual 4-3-3. Then the real work started. Trying to get the player instructions right was a headache. I knew they played fast, attacking football, pressing high up the pitch. So I cranked up the tempo, pushed the defensive line way up, and told everyone to tackle hard.
- Pressing: Set to super urgent, close down everywhere.
- Passing: Short, quick, high tempo.
- Attack: Focus on wide play, wingers cutting in, fullbacks bombing forward.
Getting those attacking midfielders and wingers to behave like Glimt’s players was tricky. They make those smart runs, overload areas. Replicating that with just tactics sliders? Not straightforward.
Trial and Error – Lots of Error
Played the first few simulated matches. Absolute disaster. My guys were running around like headless chickens. We were getting caught on the counter constantly because the defense was halfway up the pitch. The pressing was intense, yeah, but disorganized. We lost possession way too easily in stupid areas.
Back to the drawing board. I toned down the pressing intensity just a notch, made it a bit more structured rather than just chasing everything. Watched some more highlights of actual Glimt games, focusing on how they build up play, not just the final ball. Realized I’d maybe overdone the “fast tempo” thing; they are quick, but not always frantic.
I spent ages tweaking individual player roles. Making sure the central midfielders were set to support correctly, not just bomb forward leaving gaps. Tried different combinations for the front three. Took a lot of fiddling, playing a half, quitting, adjusting, playing again. Felt like I was getting closer bit by bit.
What I Reckon I Learned
After hours of this, I got something that kinda, sorta looked like Glimt’s style sometimes. Not perfect, obviously, it’s just a game. But I definitely got a better feel for it.
The big things I noticed:
- Those overlapping fullbacks are absolutely key. They provide so much width and chaos.
- The coordination between the wingers and the central midfielders is vital for those quick attacks. It’s not just random running.
- High pressing works, but it needs to be smart, triggered pressing, not just headless chasing. Otherwise, good teams pick you apart.
- Having players with great stamina and work rate is non-negotiable for this style. My virtual players were knackered constantly.
So yeah, that was my little project. Didn’t discover any magic formula, but it was fun trying to break down how Bodo/Glimt approach playing against opponents. Definitely gives you an appreciation for how well-coached they must be to pull it off in real life. It’s a tough style to replicate, even in a simulation.