– We must improve in and around our own box, and we must tolerate being put under pressure better. We are not finished there, he said after Sunday’s Ullevaal party with 5-0 over Kazakhstan and happy news from Vienna about Austria’s point loss against Slovenia.
– The last third is what everyone is talking about, and we have solved that. We produce a lot of chances and score quite a few goals, but we have to withstand being put under pressure.
Even without team captain Martin Ødegaard, the team won the two November games combined 9-1 and finished top of their group. Before next year’s WC qualification, Solbakken has many reasons for optimism.
– Sander Berge has taken a huge step in the last 5-6-7 months, Julian Ryerson in the last 12-15 months. Oscar Bobb has hardly been involved yet, just a couple of qualifying matches, and Antonio Nusa is only getting better, he says.
– If Ørjan Nyland returns to the form he was in and plays for Sevilla, we have a completely different goalkeeper than in the other qualifiers, and Morten Thorsby has started to approach the bronze ball as well.
Part of the bill
Erling Braut Haaland is on his way to making his scoring record for the national team almost unbeatable, and Martin Ødegaard is itching to report for duty again when his ankle is fine. He had already texted Solbakken when the national team manager met the media. Alexander Sørloth also continues to deliver.
– There is a lot of development which is very good. It has to be included in the bill, but we won’t get to the World Cup if we don’t improve in a couple of phases in defensive play, says Solbakken.
He has only good things to say about the unity and performance culture in the national team.
– The culture in this team is extreme. Everyone is heading in the same direction. We have had a lot of undeserved bans, but everyone is standing straight through it. It is a very strong group, insists Solbakken.
It has been a long time since Norway’s men’s national team last ran a lap of honor at Ullevaal. Solbakken was asked to rank Sunday in his coaching career.
On the podium?
– As Norway’s national team manager, it must be the biggest, but it’s not that big of a competition. In my coaching career, it’s not on the podium, but there may be something that is, he said.
The group win means that Norway does not have to play promotion matches in March. If Norway is drawn in a group with five teams, World Cup qualification starts then. If there is a group with only four teams, Solbakken will have to wait until September for the next important match.
– I can’t bear to spend so many cells thinking about it now. We will enjoy this and then we will get a draw. Whether we play in March, June or September, there is so much buzz about it. I can’t bear to think about that now, said Solbakken.
The WC qualification will be drawn on 13 December. If Norway ends up in a group with five teams, Sunday’s group victory ensures that the team will only get one important match in two out of five meetings next year. As group runners-up, the March dates would have been used up for qualification, and Norway would have to play two important matches two days apart four times in a row for the rest of the year.
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