104 goals, a domestic double, and a Champions League Semi-Final. The complete guide to Knutsen's giant-killing 4-3-3 — rebuilt in Football Manager 26.
Bodø/Glimt's rise in European contention under Kjetil Knutsen has been extraordinary: a stunning 6-1 demolition of Mourinho's Roma in 2021 sent the initial statement out to the world, whilst their fabulous run to the UEFA Europa League Semi-Finals in 24/25 showcased that they could mix it with some of Europe's finest.
However, it's their recent spree of giant-killings that is showing that the pride of Norwegian football can really mix it with the big boys! A superb 3-1 victory over Manchester City was followed by an astounding 1-2 win against Atletico Madrid — these two wins secured Bodø/Glimt an unlikely Champions League Knockout Play-Off spot, wherefrom they would shock the world to its core by eliminating last year's Finalists, Inter Milan, with wins in both the Arctic Circle and Milan!
Now, with Sporting as their next opponents in the UEFA Champions League, the club are pushing to reach staggering new heights and are threatening to be Europe's next wonderful underdog story. Here's how they are doing it...
Perfecting the Basics & Benefitting from a 4-3-3
Whilst Bodø/Glimt's tactical system is certainly flexible, there are a few overriding, core principles that remain regardless of shape or game-state. First of all, they are a side that obsess over shorter passes, and will use these regardless of whether they are in sustained possession or in a counter-attacking transition — this can lead to spontaneous, brief passages of wonderful one-touch interchanges of possession. Additionally, Knutsen has coached his side to be proficient in penetrating the half-spaces, and you will see players constantly making runs into these channels.
Regardless of the in-possession phase Bodø/Glimt are in, the 4-3-3 (and slight variants) remains: in build-up, Bodø's 4-3-3 formation is particularly useful against opponents using a 4-4-2 formation out-of-possession, whilst, as Bodø progress into the final third, this formation can shift into a flexible 2-3-5 with both full-backs inverting slightly and the wingers holding the width, with both central midfielders penetrating the half-spaces constantly.
Here, as you can see from this example, Bodø/Glimt are set up in their typical 4-3-3 in-possession formation. Against a 4-4-2, Bodø possess an extra man in central areas, with a clear 3v2 overload against the opposition's midfield two.
As Bodø progress into the final third, the full-backs will invert slightly, creating wide triangles with the wingers and central midfielders. This is where a lot of Bodø's rotations will occur.
How They Shocked Inter in Milan
With a significant 3-1 advantage after the first leg, Bodø/Glimt faced the difficult task of heading to Milan and seeing out a tie against a side who had just extended their sizable lead at the top of Serie A. However, Bodø and Knutsen showcased unbelievable tactical flexibility to adapt their system to thwart Inter's greatest strengths. The result of this was a stunning 1-2 victory at San Siro, culminating in a remarkable 2-5 aggregate victory.
In this game, Knutsen and Bodø/Glimt used an incredibly compact 4-4-2 mid-low block, wherefrom they would force Inter to pass wide. From here, they weren't particularly keen on pressing them, and would simply retain their central dominance, inviting speculative crosses into the penalty area.
Let's Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
In build-up, Bodø/Glimt primarily look to build up play from deep, with the ball being distributed short to the centre-backs, who can then work with Berg in midfield to find a spare man and/or an avenue to progress higher up the pitch. As they progress, Bodø/Glimt utilise dribbling and ball-carrying heavily as a means for progression, with players given licence to move forward with the ball before using quick, short passes to bypass the opposition's subsequent pressure.
In the final third, Bodø/Glimt are patient in their attacking exploits and will work the ball into the box — this is where their proficiency in dribbling and ball-carrying comes in handy, as they find joy in running at opposition defenders and entering the penalty area this way.
In general, Bodø/Glimt places emphasis on using quick, short passes to bypass opposition pressure, and their players will converge very narrowly to create ideal conditions for the counter-press should they lose the ball. Additionally, their players are given licence to roam and rotate with one another. Finally, upon regaining possession, Bodø/Glimt will tend to hold their shape and recycle possession with the view of building another attack methodically.
Out of Possession
When Bodø/Glimt don't have the ball, they will look to press teams high often — however, this tends to originate from a compact high-block; a pass out wide is usually the trigger for the side to press the opposition more aggressively and intently. If their high-press is broken by the opposition, they are more than happy to drop off and concede space. Finally, upon losing possession, they work like dogs to try and regain possession as quickly as possible.
Opposition Instructions
Player Roles
Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper
In this system, the 'keeper's role is pretty simple: protect your goal. He rarely gets involved in build-up, and when he does, it's to distribute short to the centre-backs.
Wing-Back | Full-Back
Both full-backs, in this system, operate very similarly: both will initially move wider in build-up, before narrowing as the side progresses higher up the pitch. In this system, both full-backs will tend to receive the ball across their body, before cutting back inside and linking with central team-mates. The only slight difference between the two is that the right-back is the slightly more adventurous in his positioning and attacking movements. Finally, both full-backs are very aggressive in closing down their opposite number as a means to support the winger's wide pressing.
(DCR & DCL) Centre-Back | Centre-Back
Both centre-backs, in this system, are relatively safe in-possession, opting for the retention option in-possession. This is particularly prevalent on the right side of defence, whereas the left-sided centre-back will often go more direct to break the lines. Both centre-backs will move wider in build-up.
Full-Back | Full-Back
Whilst the right-back is usually the more adventurous and advanced, the left-back can make forward runs at times to add another number to Bodø's attack.
Defensive Midfielder | Defensive Midfielder
In this position, Berg is absolutely crucial to Bodø/Glimt as he will remain in this deeper 'connector' position, never veering too much either side of the pitch to get on the ball.
Advanced Playmaker | Central Midfielder
Both central midfielders, in this system, will move forward as Bodø/Glimt progress and both players perform similar roles. However, the right-sided central midfielder does tend to drop deeper at times to get on the ball, whilst he can also move diagonally across to offer his central midfield partner a square passing option. Both central midfielders are also given licence to roam from their position, adding another layer to Bodø's attack. The pair are also given the responsibility to carry/dribble the ball and make more runs into the half-spaces, penetrating space in-behind the opposition's defence.
Attacking Midfielder | Central Midfielder
The left-sided central midfielder, unlike the right-sided central midfielder, is more focused on supporting play with runs off the ball and crashing the box as another crossing/cut-back option. It's also key to note that both central midfielders will mark their opposite number very tightly when the opposition have the ball.
(AMR & AML) Wide Forward | Winger
Both wingers, in this system, perform the same role: both players will hold the width for the side, before situationally making runs in-behind. Additionally, both players can attack the back-post aggressively for tap-ins, and both players will constantly take on the opposing full-back with dynamic dribbles. Finally, when Bodø don't have the ball, both wingers are very aggressive in closing down the opposition.
Poacher | Centre Forward
The striker's role, in this system, is as simple as it says on the tin: the striker will almost always play off the shoulder of the last defender, and will predominantly focus on his goalscoring responsibilities.
Results
Eliteserien
As was expected of us, we absolutely dominated the league in testing, winning 29 of our 30 games and finishing on 88 points out of a possible 90, following one solitary draw all campaign. Additionally, we scored 104 league goals (3.46 goals per game) and conceded just 13 league goals (0.43 goals per game) all season — by far and away the strongest in the league for each metric.
Norwegian Cup
We made it a domestic double in equally comfortable fashion, beating Molde 1-7 in the Final to secure our second trophy of the season!
UEFA Champions League
The fairytale didn't get its dream ending, however, we can be beyond proud of our efforts in this test, as we narrowly missed out on a UEFA Champions League Final after losing 2-3 on aggregate to Arsenal in the Semi-Finals.
On our way to the Semi-Finals, we destroyed Barcelona 4-1 at home, before winning the tie 4-6 on aggregate after a 3-2 loss in Catalonia, and overcame an initial 1-0 deficit to beat Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out in Norway in the Round of 16! In the League Phase, we finished 5th after 5 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss — a 2-1 defeat away at Manchester City.
Read Also
- FM26 Tactics Hub
- FM26 Best Youth Academies
- FM26 Wonderkids by PA, Price & Position
- FM26 Transfer Budgets
Conclusion
Bodø/Glimt, after avoiding relegation to Norway's 2nd tier just under a decade ago, are a club on the rise and are now flying the flag for Norway in European club football, with a number of remarkable and supreme wins against football's most historic clubs. As someone with Scandinavian genes, seeing this epic, fairytale rise through Europe for the club has been simply awe-inspiring, and I'm really looking forward to seeing just how far these fantastic giant-killers can go — who knows, they could just reach the Final...?!
If you want a taste of this beautiful tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and make sure to follow FM Blog (@fmbIog) and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
