Norway ‘big step’ compared to A-League in terms of quality and reputation – FTBL
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The 22-year-old former OlyWhites international has started racing since joining one of the country’s biggest clubs, Viking SK, two months ago.
He has already made seven appearances for a club seeking a place in the Europa League and believes success in Scandinavia could open doors across the continent.
âIt’s a good development league with a lot of players who have moved on to bigger clubs over the years,â Stensness told FTBL.
“This club really wanted me, they were willing to pay a fee which was a good sign that they wanted to help me develop as a player.
âI really wanted to step onto the European stage – in the eyes of many the A-League doesn’t have a lot of credibility and that was about that too.
âViking is a big step forward from the Mariners and I think the league as a whole is a step forward.
“It’s a professional club and when you think about the history and culture around football, this club was founded in 1899.
“It’s great to be somewhere where football is the biggest sport and where there is a great atmosphere in games.”
The Dark Blues claim eight league titles – most recently in 1991 – and five national cups.
The relative strength of the competition was evident last week when Norwegian side.
Bodo / Glimt routed Jose Mourinho’s Roma 6-1 in the Europa Conference League – perhaps the most embarrassing night of his long coaching career.
Viking knocked out Chelsea from the UEFA Cup 17 years ago and has played more top-level games than any of their domestic rivals.
“You saw Roma’s result against the league leaders here and that tells you something,” Stensness added.
âThe pace is fast, the players are generally more technical than the A-League and it’s a very good transition for me.
âI just found my bearings here and represent my club as best I can, but I also have bigger dreams, to be in bigger leagues and to keep improving.
âI’m halfway through the season and I want to do my part to help us qualify for Europe.
“The club are happy with me so far – to have come in and got a starting spot so quickly.
âI have a lot of self-confidence and have supported myself to show that I can be one of the best players on the team. It took a lot of hard work, but I’m getting there.
Born and raised in Australia, Stensness pledged his international future to green and gold last month, despite his Olympics adventure with New Zealand.
He reunited with his compatriot and former OlyWhites teammate Joe Bell at Viking.
“We played together at the U-20 World Cup in 2020 and also in Tokyo and we know each other’s games very well,” he said.
âJoe helped me settle in. The club is also great. The only thing is the weather – it’s already cold, dark and humid (as the long Nordic winter begins to set in). â
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