The October matches of the Norwegian national team showed two different sides of the team. She was able to defeat Slovenia 3-0 and easily be crushed by the Austrians. A few days ago, Erling Haaland became the best scorer in the history of the national team, but after Sunday's major defeat, he received a wave of criticism.
Norwegians' outrage regarding Haaland
Haaland did not speak to journalists either after match in Linz, or after the team arrived in Norway, which greatly outraged the Norwegian media. “He shouldn't be the captain,” Leif Welhaven thundered in “VG.” Haaland became the manager in the absence of the injured Martin Odegaard.
“Norwegian football has never had such a superstar. So it's no wonder that Stale Solbakken has to treat him with privileges in some areas. But the problem arises when Haaland decides to take on the role and then fails to live up to expectations. When you take on the captain's armband, you have to demonstrate appropriate maturity. Unfortunately, we did not see it after the match against Austria. It is in the face of misfortune that leaders come to the fore and take responsibility. There is a reason why the captain is not the first to leave the ship when the national team disappoints fans in Linz, the player designated as team leader should step forward when difficult questions arise,” we read.
The commentator calls Haaland a coward. He believes he showed no respect for the media by not speaking to them after the meeting.
The coach of the Norwegian national team defended the attacker. – I understand the discussion. But the most important thing for me is that he behaves like a captain in the locker room and on the pitch. What he did in the locker room after yesterday's match is obvious proof of this, Solbakken said.
When asked what Haaland had done, he replied: – He acted like a good teammate. Even though we lose as a team and win as a team, some in the locker room took the loss harder than others. Solbakken confirmed that he has no intention of changing the hierarchy in the Norwegian national team. -Martin Odegaard is the captain, Erling Haaland is the vice-captain, he added.
After four rounds, the situation in group 3 of Division B UEFA Nations League is really interesting. Three teams have seven points each. The Norwegians are ahead of Austria and Slovenia, but they have the best balance in the so-called little one table. Kazakhstan closes the group with one point. The winner will advance directly to Division A. The runner-up will compete in the promotion play-offs, and the third will compete in the relegation play-offs.