The first half of the season is now over and unfortunately this year’s final match did not bring 3 points and a win, but there are still plenty of reasons to be very satisfied with the season so far.
We had a chat with head coach Morten Eskesen to get his perspective on the league’s first 17 rounds, as well as what considerations are being made during the winter break before the season kicks off again in the spring.
On the team’s overall performance, Morten Eskesen says –
“When you look at the 17 matches we have played this season including 3 cup matches with a completely new squad and an ownership change along the way as well, then I think we are sitting in a well-deserved 5. place.
At least in terms of chances, play and effort. We have played in spells. It started a bit tough, but then we got into a really good period afterwards, before it started to ebb and flow a bit again.
And then I think that if we disregard the last match in Fredericia, we finish really strongly by taking 10 points in four matches against other strong top-6 teams and that we can be proud of.”
As the focus turns to the many changes we have seen since last season, it is of course with a focus on the squad –
“We have brought in seven new players and lost nine and it is really difficult to get a team to play together from day one, but I think we have succeeded in doing that.
The team has blossomed in its own way and we have seen players like Alexander Lyng do really well and although he is only seventeen years old, he has stepped up and become one of the offensive profiles in 1. Division”
If you had asked Morten Eskesen before the start of the season whether a 5. place would have been acceptable, he nods with a smile –
“We had a goal of reaching the top-6 and we know it is difficult considering the club’s finances, where we are up against some somewhat bigger forces. But to be number 5 with the budget and squad we have, I think that is really good. Of course one can always do something better and we would like to go even higher, but all in all it is an approved performance.”
Finally, we turn our gaze forward to the upcoming transfer window. When asked what tops the head coach’s wish list, Eskesen answers –
“I hope we have the same squad. Of course I am well aware that we have an Alexander Lyng who is in demand, but I hope we can keep this small, strong squad together.
I also hope that we retain our strong medical staff, who have ensured that we have had virtually no injuries during the autumn.
And it is no secret that I hope we can be strengthened. If I were to wish, it would be a player in each line, meaning defence, midfield and an attacking player, but preferably an attacking player who can score some goals.
That said, I also know that the club looks at the finances and prioritizes as best it can, and if no reinforcements come, we will keep fighting with the players we have. But it is a strong squad; we are just vulnerable to injuries. So a few reinforcements would help prepare us for any future injuries.”
With these words, we send the players and not least the coaching staff off on a well-deserved winter break and wait in anticipation for what the transfer window brings and what the team looks like when the spring season kicks off.
FC Helsingør
