Watch Rosenborg – Sarpsborg 08 on TV 2 Sport 1 and play on Sundays from 16.50.
Let’s turn the time back to December 19, 2020. Then Ule Sutter scored a hat-trick against Hasan as Ranheim won 4-1 in the Elitserien qualifier.
On the bench stood Ranheim coach Sven Mallen applauding him.
The second best team in Trondheim never made it to the Eliteserien, but Sæter did. He went to Rosenborg after one month.
After two and a half years, Malin and Sater are reunited once again – and they’re ready for their first match together since The Magic Evening against Hassan.
– amazing. I’m a big fan of Sven and the way he wants to play and think about football. I’m really looking forward to playing under him again. There was a full bloom for the first time, Ole Sæter tells TV 2.
Together again: Interim Head Coach Sven Mallen and Ole Sæter (Blue Jacket). Photo: Jan Arne Austad/TV 2
A very open and honest boy
During his tenure, Sæter really presented himself in the best Norwegian football. At Ranheim, he scored eleven goals in the 2020 season.
Ole spent one year with me at Ranheim. It was a very special year, because he struggled with injuries in the first half of the year. In the second half of the year he wasn’t injured but he was very good and important for us.
Coach continues:
– It was his first encounter with senior football and he took those steps very well that year. We spent a very nice year together. He is a very open, honest and kind boy, I think.
– How will you get the best out of it?
– I have to help him push the right buttons himself, make sure he stays free of injury and point him in the right direction. He must also prove himself worthy of trust. If he did, he should have the chance.
The 45-year-old confirms Sæter is of great importance to be in his first team this season, however:
– He has a few sessions in the field. He’s well trained and has good form, but he’s basically created for the gym.
Sæter says he feels ready to start against Sarpsborg 08, but it is doubtful he will actually do so. The 27-year-old is yet to play for Rosenborg this season.
He picked up an injury in a training match against Hougesund before the start of the season – and has been out ever since.
– The body has never felt better. It feels so good to come back and feel like things align with what my head was thinking, says Sæter.
What was it like to be on the sidelines and see your team-mates struggle like they did?
It wasn’t fun at all, of course. And when you see how things turned out and you see the day-to-day work that was put into it, it’s frustrating not to be able to contribute.
Photo: Jan Arne Aurstad/TV 2
Photo: Jan Arne Aurstad/TV 2
Photo: Jan Arne Aurstad/TV 2
The captain salutes
Sæter says he’s put in a lot of hard work to get back in shape.
– I think I’ve been training before and after breakfast for a number of weeks now. So I feel like my physical condition has never been better. You just have to take it out on the soccer field. I know if I can last for 90 minutes, it will be a terrible 90 minutes for those I meet. This was my goal on the sidelines.
Malin promised from the very first second as RBK coach to take the club back to its roots: the classic 4-3-3 and attacking football.
What changes did the players notice on the training field?
The general mentality would be to go into every training session with a different attitude and an attacking mentality. She has given me so much. Now I haven’t been with Kjetil and Geir in the last few months, but for my part I’m very optimistic about what he intends to achieve here, Sæter believes.
RBK captain Markus Henriksen is happy to see the striker back on the field.
– A great resource to bring back. He didn’t play much this year, but what he did last year shows there are qualities we need. It’s kind of my type too, Henriksen smiles.
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