Celin Bizet Ildhusøy - The ice princess of Vålerenga

The Norwegian teenage sensation has made waves and is now linked with a move to France. What can we expect from her?

Generational talents come along, well, once in a generation, but every now and then we’re lucky to witness a golden generation of young and talented footballers. The current crop of young players in women’s football is arguably the best, with some stellar names making waves across Europe. Jordyn Huitema, Lena Oberdorf, Lauren James, Jessie Fleming, and Haley Bugeja are currently considered as the next set of youngsters set to take the world by storm.

We’re seeing an increasing number of these players become vital parts of their teams, being integrated by managers to build a long-term team around. With the quality of football improving, the ability to do this becomes much easier and long-term planning becomes essential.

One such talented youngster that is waiting in the wings is Vålerenga’s gifted winger, Celin Bizet Ildhusøy. The young Norwegian is yet another Scandinavian wonderkid to emerge from the region who should become a prominent name in years to come. With links to Paris Saint-Germain looking rife, I’ve looked to profile the young player to give you a glimpse of what to expect from her.

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Ildhusøy is a 19-year-old right-winger playing in Norway’s top division with Vålerenga. She is a naturally talented attacker that has bags of potential that she’s shown from such an early age. Given that young talents are given more of an opportunity in Scandinavia, we’ve been able to see her prominent growth and rise since she was given her debut at the age of 15 in 2017.

Her playstyle is very much around that of a playmaking winger who is excellent on the ball with good close control and quick feet. Given that she’s not a traditional winger or inside-forward, she brings versatility to the side with most of her minutes coming from either wide position or as a centre-forward. In either situation, she can still influence the game because of her technical skill. 

In this regard, Ildhusøy is vastly ahead of her development with consistent first-team football being a regular feature. Her technical skills are further enhanced by her intelligence on the pitch. There are moments of brilliance where Ildhusøy picks out a brilliant pass, or the intention of said attacking action was the right one but not executed correctly. These improvements in her end product will come with time, experience, and training but the potential is clear to see.

When playing wide, positioning becomes extremely important because the tendency is to drift inside to dictate play. Ildhusøy’s heat maps suggest that she is much more unpredictable with her movements. As you can see, she’s opted to both stay wide and come inside in both seasons. This suggests that there is an opportunity for her full-back to make overlapping runs to create attacking combinations. 

There’s an Eden Hazard-like vibe when you watch her play and seeing how she’s able to make mazy runs and dribbles coming off the wing, the similarities are warranted. If she ends up fulfilling her potential and comes close to the Real Madrid wing wizard, then there’s a chance we’re looking at a future Ballon d’Or candidate. Considering the current Toppserien season is seven games in, the heat maps are from both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. 

Additionally, you’ll notice that she’s had a big portion of her activity in the defensive third which shows a high work rate and a defensive side to her game. Modern managers are inclined to pick wingers who will track back to help defend with their full-back which gives them much more tactical flexibility against more complex sides. Ildhusøy seems to have a good work ethic instilled in her from the start, which makes her much more desirable and a valued asset.

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Now, it’s on the ball where she’s lit up the Toppserien with her mesmerising dribbles and eccentric movement. Though her end product could use some refinement, her comfort in receiving and escaping out of smaller spaces is already at a high level. When Ildhusøy receives the ball, she does so in wider, yet slightly deeper areas to allow her time to scan the pitch and assess her options. This way she calculates her route and has mapped out her way forward.

Just like that, she picks up possession and glides past the opposing defender with ease before releasing a pass into the overlapping full-back. Her initial position is deeper but because of her ball-carrying abilities, she’s able to go past players with ease before finding better passing positions. The Norwegian teenager averaged 9.4 dribbles per 90 minutes with a 48.5% success rate in 2020 that ranks her first in the league for this metric, whilst it also supports the notion that she is one who loves being on the ball and more often is able to keep possession.

It’s not as if these dribbles are being made from advantageous positions higher up the pitch – they’re made when there are more defenders behind the ball. Vålerenga are near the top of the division which means teams will look to sit back against them, making it harder to penetrate. The two pass maps above show Ildhusøy playing as both a left attacking midfielder (vs Klepp) and centre-forward (vs Rosenborg). Both graphics highlight her playing in a narrower and deeper position that exudes confidence in playing more centrally and progressing forward.

Breaking down low block defences has become an almost alternative yet key factor in assessing creative players. Looking at her progressive runs per 90 data, it ties in well with what the video presents to us. The above graph values Ildhusøy in the middle of the pack which is fair considering her numbers. 

We know Ildhusøy is very direct and excellent in 1 v 1 positions, making a number of runs into the box, and is able to take on multiple defenders. Being able to attract and have defenders gravitate towards her means space opens up for other players to move into. Considering she is a goal-scoring threat, the moves don’t end there with Ildhusøy making her own runs into the box.

The below graph shows goals + assists per 90 along with dribbles per 90 across the 2020 Toppserien season where Ildhusøy ranks highly in dribbles but still has work to do in creating and scoring more per game. Though the potential to do so is clearly there.

Her agile movements enables her to move efficiently in the box that results in shots being taken. In terms of pure output per 90 minutes, Ildhusøy is under performing against the league. However, she ranked third in touches in the box in the league with 4.29 per 90 which suggests she’s getting in to the right places. Even though she will require a bit more tactical maturity against more savvy defenders, Ildhusøy’s raw talent, intelligence, and pace combined have so far worked out for her.

The example here has her in a very attacking position and after making the first dribble past, she’s made a pass into the middle. The main advantage in this move is her ability to bring players towards her and create an opening for the centre-forward to drive into. Though the striker didn’t follow through with the move, this effect is a constant in almost every example you’ll see.

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The fact that Ildhusøy is an attack-minded creative winger would have you believe that she’s more of a factor in the final third than in her defensive third – on the contrary, her numbers and heat maps suggest otherwise. She made 11.13 defensive duels per 90 (60% success rate) and 7.05 recoveries (55% opp half) which for a winger — let alone at 19 — demonstrates an incredible work rate.

As far as young creative players go, Ildhusøy belongs to a group of players that is rarely seen in the modern game. There is an element of calmness in her aggression. There aren’t too many rash or brazen tackles or spurts of pressure that leave exposed spaces in behind, rather she seems to have followed her manager’s instructions without fail.

What’s impressive about this passage of play against Lillestrom is Ildhusøy’s restraint in her aggressiveness. When the ball is passed, she tracks the movement and advances into the path of the predicated pass rather than the player. At this point, the ball receiver has no choice but to move towards the far end of the pitch by which time, the winger can dispossess her. Once Ildhusøy does, she doesn’t lunge into chasing the loose ball, but rather holds her ground and is rewarded by completing an interception.

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Players of Ildhusøy’s mould are going to become much more common in the younger generation because there is simply no space for players who cannot defend. Om Arvind of the Tactical Rant wrote an excellent piece on modern 10s while using Mikkel Damsgaard as the prime example, but while Ildhusøy isn’t a classic 10 in both the traditional or modern sense, the principles and points he makes still transfer over. The tactical complexities and advancements made by more tactically savvy coaches mean the players need to improve, and only the ones who offer tactical versatility (not in the traditional sense of position) will be preferred. 

The Norwegian wonderkid has already won a league title in her teenage years and has progressed tenfold, but a move to a top European side could see her elevate her game into the stratosphere. Whether it be Paris Saint-Germain or anyone else, she must choose her next move wisely and play for a manager that will enhance her abilities through coaching and consistent playing time.

(Photo by Trond Tandberg/Getty Images)