Norway's Football Future: Markus Henriksen leading new generation of Norwegian footballers aiming for Euro 2012

18-year-old Rosenborg midfielder Markus Henriksen earned his first senior international cap this Ocotber when Norway faced off against Croatia in a friendly match.

If Norway is to qualify for Euro 2012, Henriksen and several of his recent Norwegian U-21 teammates will have had a hand in the qualification.

Players include:

-- Håvard Nordtveit - defender - Arsenal

-- Abdisalam Ibrahim - midfielder - Manchester City

-- Tarik Elyounoussi - forward - Heerenveen

-- Magnus Eikrem - midfielder - Manchester United

-- Christer Kleiven - midfielder - IK Start

-- Harmeet Singh - midfielder - Vålerenga

More Elm brothers coverage; sadly Kalmar FF gets little blog time

We have written extensively about the Elm trio.

David, along with brothers Victor and Rasmus once led Swedish side Kalmar FF to new heights. The brothers were together for the 2008 Allsvenskan league campaign as they guided the side to the Swedish league title for the first time in the club’s history.

Shortly after, the brothers Victor and Rasmus were off to the Netherlands.

Rasmus at AZ and Victor at Heerenveen.

In Sept. 2009, it was David's turn to leave his birth country as he landed in the Premiership with Fulham. Having only seen minutes against Manchester City FC in the Carling Cup, the question remains: Will the 26-year-old forward see first-team minutes?

Or

Is he just the final story from a tale of three brothers made good?

Finals Taking Shape All Around Europe

May is the dawning of the much-heralded ‘business end to the season’, the fitting climax to the sweat, tears and bloodshed which have been sacrificed to guarantee a euphoric finale. It is the curtain-fall that differentiates the genuine victors from the once-threatening aspirants and creates an opportunity to watch mesmerising history unfold in front of our very own eyes.

While championship skirmishes throughout Europe may predictably appear to be heading in one foreseeable direction, for those still fortunate to be flexing their muscle in the domestic cup competitions it is an open invitation to terminate years of trophy famine and garner the profits of European football. The pressures highlighted above will soon be understood by the lucky coaches, who will no doubt feel the full-throttle exertion of them, as we look ahead to the national cup finals of many countries.

The German Cup semi-final between Hamburg and Werder Bremen had been branded as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming UEFA Cup dual, but there was no suggestion as to who would finish on top. After Per Mertesacker of Bremen and Ivan Olic in the corresponding jersey brought the fixture to a dead heat, standing at 1-1, Tim Wiese produced “one of the best nights of my career” to defy Martin Jol’s men by pulling off a set of valiant saves in the unnerving penalty shoot-out. Hamburg’s Jerome Boateng and Ivan Olic were the guilty wrongdoers as Bremen snatched bragging rights at the first hurdle. Bayer Leverkusen, who will provide the opposition in the final, were also forced into extra time but were able to strike three past Mainz to claim a 4-1 victory and secure their berth.

Inter Milan faced an instantaneous struggle in their mission of eradicating Sampdoria’s 3-0 first-leg advantage, but nevertheless sought to carry out the improbable. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s gorgeously-struck volley in the 27th minute instigated a momentary comeback but, despite tapping the bar twice and failing to capitalise on several clear-cut chances, Sampdoria were inevitably left to celebrate their final appearance against Lazio and chase down a fifth Italian Cup triumph.

Past Dutch Cup finals haven’t been benign to the spirits of SC Heerenveen, with elimination to Roda JC in 1997 and Ajax in 1993 serving up despairing reminiscences of how the long-awaited occasions fell deflated, failing to equal the enthusiasm and divine passion of the crowd, but twelve years after suffering their second plateful of sting, history can be rephrased if, at the third attempt, they can outclass FC Twente. January-arrival Viktor Elm and Danijel Pranjic sent Heerenveen past FC Volenham en-route to the final but Steve McClaren will be unyielding in his pursuit of obtaining silverware to cap an impressive first season at FC Twente – whose seat at the centrepiece event came courtesy of NAC.

Alarm bells were ringing at FC Porto when the current Portuguese Liga leaders threw away a 1-0 gain to fall at Estrela Amadora but a comfortable first-leg cushion protected their position in the finals of the domestic cup where they will be favourites to vanquish challenging Pacos de Ferreira. Pacos narrowly prevailed over Nacional with an aggregate scoreline of 5-4, a second penalty conversion from Pedrinha winning the match in extra-time.

Istanbul acquaitances will be renewed as Besiktas face Fenerbahce in the Turkish Cup final, KRC Genk surpassed Lierse SK with considerable ease to setup a Belgium Cup final versus KV Mechelen, while Kris Boyd scored his 100th career goal for Glasgow Rangers to help create a last-hurdle tie over relegation-ridden Falkirk in Scotland.

Swedish Allsvenskan: Kalmar Defend Title With Gefle Deadlock

Life in the Swedish Allsvenskan began for 2009 as Kalmar FF embarked on the focal objective of defending their title crown, despite an initial drawback as they stranded a one-goal advantage to draw with Gefle IF.

After accomplishing their first championship in 2008, Kalmer travelled northwards to the city of Gävle in pursuit of their title protection and Rasmus Elm, whose brother Victor and last season’s top goalscorer Patrik Ingelsten both departed for SC Heerenveen over the winter months, ensured the season started to almost perfection by successfully converting a penalty on 29 minutes. Old-hand Hasse Berggren drew the scoreline parallel on the 69th minute for Gefle IF, an outcome which has left both on one point joint-sixth.

2004 victors and all-time leading champions Malmo FF beat BK Hacken when Serbian defender Mijan Mutavdzic clinched the winner five minutes from the end, while early-installed favourites Elfsborg clawed back to draw 1-1 with Hammarby thanks to Stefan Ishizaki’s equaliser. At the Olympia, Helsingborgs IF narrowly overcame 13-time Allsvenskan conquerers IFK Göteborg, who bask in the glory of their UEFA Cup jubilations in 1982 and 1987, but cross-city competitor’s GAIS Göteborg stole an early march in the table by annihilating a subdued Örgryte IS 5-1.

One of the many allures and charms of Sweden’s top-flight domestic competition is the densely-packed, heavily-concentrated race for the title, which can be tussled and fought out between plenty of clubs. The Allsvenskan can be considered as one of the continent’s most erratic and unpredictable leagues as the past five seasons have each produced different winners, a world apart from the majority of other European top-tiers which are prone to falling under the supremacy of the same select few teams.

Swedish Allsvenskan - Matchday 1 Results

• BK Häcken Göteborg 0 - 1 Malmö FF
• IF Elfsborg Boras 1 - 1 Hammarby IF
• Örgryte IS Göteborg 1 - 5 GAIS Goteborg
• AIK Solna 1 - 0 Halmstads BK
• Trelleborgs FF 0 - 0 IF Brommapojkarna
• Gefle IF 1 - 1 Kalmar
• Djurgårdens IF 1 - 0 Orebro SK
• Helsingborgs IF 1 - 0 IFK Goteborg

Band of Brothers Breaking Up

Soccer City FC has followed the story since April. The Brothers Elm (Victor, David, and Rasmus) powered Kalmar FF through the 2008 Allsvenskan campaign. The Elms, with winger Patrik Ingelsten who lead the league with 19 goals, played an entertaining, attacking football. The club's attack was just too much for most sides to overcome.

Sadly, the core is now being disassembled. This is the nature of today's global football machine. Brazilian César Santin who was another powerful attacking option left during the summer transfer period for Danish side FC Copenhagen.

Ingelsten, only 26-years-old, will more than likely move to a wealthier European club either in January or in the summer of '09.

As for the Brothers Elm, Victor is the first to leave. He will move to Dutch side SC Heerenveen this January. Only 22 and over 6 foot 3 inches tall, the midfielder should flourish in his new land. More call-ups to the Swedish national team are on the horizon for the most recognizable of the Elm troika.

David at 25-years-old is the eldest of the bunch. The forward was a key reserve for Kalmar FF and should remain with the club.

Rasmus is only 20 yet he has already begun to make a difference for both club and country having recently earned call-ups to Sweden's U-21 squad. Regardless if he remains or moves, the midfielder's future is bright.

A look forward to Kalmar's 2009 Allsvenskan campaign:

1. If Rasmus remains, he should continue to develop in the midfield and with the club's title in 2008, he will benefit from facing the bigger European clubs who make up the UEFA Champions League.

2. How much does midfielder Henrik Rydström have left? The captain was a big key to the club's success.

3. What about the Brazilians? Will midfielders Daniel Sobralense and Marcel Sacramento factor into the 2009 plans? The duo arrived in 2008 but failed to make massive waves.

4. Is Abiola Dauda legit? The Nigerian joined the club in 2008 and scored 8 goals. The forward is only 20-years-old and should improve upon his goal tally in 2009.

5. Does Patrik Ingelsten remain? Even with the loss of Victor Elm, the club enters as the clear favorite to repeat in 2009 if Ingelsten stays.

Ajax Slump In Heerenveen Disaster

Marco Van Basten is discovering the difficulties and challenges that come with day-to-day club management the hard way. Ajax were unable to break Heerenveen’s unbeaten home record as they wilted to a 5-2 defeat.

Within eight minutes, Ajax were staring down the barrel of defeat as goals from veteran striker Gerald Sibon and Roy Beerens placed Heerenveen in an excellent position which they retained for the remainder of the match. The visiting defence were left shattered and crushed after the deficit doubled to 4-0 – Sibon claiming his second while Danijel Pranjic’s penalty put to doubt any possibility of a remarkable comeback. Such a hope was pure fiction for the Amsterdam outfit as they were condemned to an embarrassing 5-2 finishing scoreline. Huntelaar’s curled a free-kick and Suarez’s converted penalty acted only as consolatory goals before Pranjic acted quickly to finish a rebounded penalty. Heerenveen’s unbeaten home form remained intact while Ajax failed to cure their away day despair.

Ajax manager Marco Van Basten was infuriated with his team’s defective spectacle, saying “I was hoping for our first away win this Eredivisie season, but this was just a disgrace. We really have to be ashamed of ourselves, because this is totally unacceptable. It was 2-0 at halftime and there were still chances to grab a good result, but it was 4-0 minutes after the break. We didn’t show anything today and we weren’t focused.” Any desires of trumping PSV to the title crown will have to be re-examined should a performance like this become a regular occurrence.

In other news, Ajax are hoping to lure former South African goalkeeper Hans Vonk out of retirement to aid them in their injury crisis. Regular Maarten Stekelenburg has been ruled out for six weeks with a shoulder injury and reserve Dennis Gentenaar is also on the sidelines with a hernia. Vonk is familiar with Eredivisie football and in particular life at the Amsterdam ArenA – the 38 year-old began his career at RKC Waalwijk and had spells at FC Den Bosch and Heerenveen before he previously joined Ajax in 2004.

PSV rose to 2nd in the table following their 3-0 triumph over De Graafschap with Lazovic scoring twice, while Steve McClaren suffered his first domestic defeat as manager of Twente as they lost 3-0 to FC Utrecht. FC Groningen are the surprise leaders on 13 points having beaten ADO Den Haag 3-0.