Norway’s EC hopes are on shaky ground after the 2-1 loss to Scotland on Saturday. 104 seconds turned EC optimism into despair. THANK YOU PUBLIC: Leo Skiri Østigård and Erling Braut Haaland after the loss. Photo: NTB Norway is now dependent on other nations to be able to dream of championship games. Both Solbakken and the players have used many words to explain what went wrong in the final minute against Scotland. Tired heads, unfortunate cramps and tactical moves have been the melody, but this was not the first time it happened either. The review by news shows that Norway has conceded 9 out of 15 late goals in the last quarter of the last ten, counting games. This corresponds to 60 percent of the target. At the same time, Norway only conceded one goal in the first half. – It is of course not a good statistic, says Patrick Berg to news. Total: 15 late goals in 10 counting matches (WC qualifiers, national league, European Championship qualifiers). Photo: Nicolai Eid Trondal / news/NTB – Slår sprekkar Bodø/Glimt player Berg thinks much of the explanation is about tired legs and head. He himself has a somewhat incredible 90-minute streak for Bodø/Glimt, and he “always” finishes the matches. With the exception of one blow and one cup match, we have to go back to 9 December 2020 to find the last time Berg was replaced in a Glimt suit. Then Bodø/Glimt led 4–0 away to Haugesund. On Saturday he still ran out and had to be replaced before Scotland turned it around. – I think we often see that we are very disciplined and good in our zone defense throughout large parts of the match. So both Ståle and we know that it is demanding to keep it up for 90 minutes, but it is not impossible. I have a lot of faith that we will get it done, but we haven’t got it done well enough so far, says Berg. He continues: – We see that some cracks are starting to appear in the matches, and that is of course not something we want. But I think we see in large parts of the matches that we have it in. We know the principle, and when we start to get tired, we struggle a bit to hang together. POPULAR: Here Patrick Berg signs autographs after national team training on Monday. Photo: NTB Berg has been clear that he had to be replaced. Fredrik Aursnes, who was also taken off the track, has been honest that he was able to finish. This is also the one change of the criticized triple change that Solbakken himself has seen a question mark behind. Aursnes does not seem to speak to news is particularly pleasant reading. – Those are not good numbers, of course. It is something we have to look at and work with – and help each other. That we push each other and keep our concentration up, says Aursnes. MEET THE PRESS: Fredrik Aursnes. Photo: NTB – Is it physical or mental? – It is perhaps both, certainly mostly mental, I think. That we must maintain focus, concentration, help each other. Maybe we should have gone down, tried to hang out for a while. I do not know. It’s not good to say, says Aursnes to news. “No, now it’s going to happen” It is part of the statistics that goals are generally scored more often in the latter part of the matches. In the biggest leagues, 20 to 24.9 percent of goals are scored in the last quarter, according to Soccer Stats. news has therefore compared Ståle Solbakken’s figures (60 per cent) with some selected nations and coaches: When are the goals allowed in? This shows the statistics for the last ten, counting games for Lars Lagerbäck’s Norway: 0-15 minutes – 1 late goal 16-30 minutes – 0 late goals 31-45 minutes – 2 late goals 46-60 minutes – 3 late goals 61-75 minutes – 1 late goal 76-90 minutes – 1 late goal (12.5 percent). Total: Eight late goals in 10 games. The late goal in extra time against Serbia is not included. This shows the statistics for the last ten, counting games for Per-Mathias Høgmos Norway: 0-15 minutes – 2 late goals 16-30 minutes – 3 late goals 31-45 minutes – 1 late goal 46-60 minutes – 3 late goals 61-75 minutes – 0 late goals 76-90 minutes – 3 late goals (25 percent). Total: 12 late goals in 10 games. This shows the statistics for the last ten, counting games for Sweden: 0-15 minutes – 1 goal behind 16-30 minutes – 3 goals behind 31-45 minutes – 3 goals behind 46-60 minutes – 4 goals behind 61-75 minutes – 3 goals behind 76- 90 minutes – 2 late goals (12.5 percent). Total: 16 late goals in 10 games. This shows the statistics for the last ten, counting games for Denmark: 0-15 minutes – 0 behind goals 16-30 minutes – 0 behind goals 31-45 minutes – 0 behind goals 46-60 minutes – 3 behind goals 61-75 minutes – 3 behind goals 76- 90 minutes – 4 late goals (40 percent). Total: 10 late goals in 10 games. This shows the statistics for the last ten counting games for Scotland: 0-15 minutes – 1 goal behind 16-30 minutes – 3 goals behind 31-45 minutes – 1 goal behind 46-60 minutes – 2 goals behind 61-75 minutes – 1 goal behind 76- 90 minutes – 1 late goal (11.11 percent). Total: Nine late goals in ten games. – These are brutal numbers, says news expert Kristoffer Løkberg. He points out that two of the late goals, away to Spain, came when Norway converted to chase an equalizer at 1-0. But seen in isolation, Løkberg believes, this is a number that makes you sit down to go into the depths of what action you can take. – You are much more vulnerable in the last 15 minutes that mistakes can happen, precisely because the head is not able to react as quickly as in the first quarter. Where you are always ahead, you end up lagging behind. In international football, you are severely punished, says Løkberg. – Then it’s about having some triggers: Be more cynical, break up the game and be clear on how to get through the last quarter with “smartness”. Precisely because you know that you have struggled with it in the past. It is very reinforcing, so it spreads mentally with anxiety and fear that it will happen again. When an opponent gets a set-piece or a counter-attack, it becomes like: “No, now it’s going to happen”. Then it is often the case that it happens, says Løkberg. CALL FOR ACTION: news expert and Viking player Kristoffer Løkberg. Photo: Nicolai Trondal / news Expert colleague Carl-Erik Torp thinks the trend is “a huge problem”. – No one blames the players for not wanting enough, but Norway does not have a culture or experience from those situations to handle it better. It is the total that is most important, but the later you tow in, the less time you also have to repair it, says Torp. Want to take a closer look at the trend National team manager Ståle Solbakken has had to face a number of critical questions for his tactical choices towards the end of the Scotland match. At the same time, he has been challenged on what was the cause of the collapse. When news presents the speech, the national team manager opens by pointing out that four of the goals came when Norway was chasing goals in Spain, and then the match against Scotland on Saturday. In percentage terms, more goals are also scored towards the end of the campaign, informs Solbakken. ENGAGED: National team manager Ståle Solbakken. Photo: NTB – We have been in some situations where we don’t cope well enough, but it is very different from game to game how the goals come. But the fact that they are statistically at a disadvantage in terms of how many goals come at the end is not something we can neglect. It is something we have to look at, whether there is a connection, says Solbakken to news. – How then? – We work with that on all levels. We have a mental coach with us who works well with the players. We are talking about the situations that come up. But there has not been an “issue” at this gathering. In the 87th minute against Scotland, there were not many who would have seen money on Scotland scoring. So we must not make the problem bigger than it is, either, says Solbakken. The national team manager is also challenged by Dagbladet’s reporter on whether Norway lacks cynicism and “bad boys”. – Yes maybe. I would say that you are neither right nor wrong, you may have a point. I’m not sure, but I won’t reject it, says Solbakken. FINAL THOUGHT: Smila was in place when the national team made their final preparations before the Cyprus match. Photo: NTB On Sunday, the national team manager also spent a long time explaining what went wrong towards the end of the Scotland match in particular and international matches in general. He then described the problem as “very complex”. – If I had known that there was a joint solution to it, we would have taken it. The zonal game we practice requires great cooperation. The more tired you get in your legs and head, the easier it is to make one mistake or another, said Solbakken, who did not think it was about the players’ physical form. – I don’t think there is any clear cut answer to that. Maybe there is a little bit of mental in it too, when you have experienced it once or twice, said Solbakken among other things. On Tuesday, a golden chance to improve the statistics awaits. Then Norway are big favorites when Cyprus hosts a sold-out Ullevaal.
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