We pay tribute to Haaland, Ødegaard, Nyland, Berg and Schelderup. Fully deserved, but now it’s time to talk about Kristoffer Ajer. The Brentford player is definitely the man you want to have with you in the “football war”. Ståle Solbakken knew this in the World Cup qualifiers, Ajer showed it to the extent in the World Cup arena.
The 28-year-old was on the pitch for 480 minutes in the World Cup, and was the defensive boss who was “everywhere”. With his almost two meters above the turf, it can be difficult to keep up with light-footed attacking players, but Ajer showed in the World Cup that he has the speed, the ability to position himself and the duel power to stop the biggest stars.
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The CIES Football Observatory presented performance analysis before the England match, which showed Kristoffer Ajer was one of the best defenders in the World Cup and the best “Top Air Defender in FIFA World Cup”.
Ajer served as Norway’s defensive foundation with 49 clearances and a bunch of victories in what could be game-deciding duels. Against England, the 28-year-old also showed his offensive power, with a few inches and a crossbar away from scoring on a header just before the end of regulation time.
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And if Norway is to ensure that the passes find the right way, they just have to give the ball to Ajer. His statistics from the championship show that he had a pass accuracy of 94%, and contributed greatly to Norway making it to the quarterfinals.
Ajer proved to be a real Viking chieftain in our defense!
