– I have a good feeling that this will go well. I think he looks nice, but he hasn’t been in physical activity, says the national team boss about Erling Braut Haaland on Wednesday morning. The Norwegian star forward joined the Norwegian national team on Tuesday after several days of celebrations and tributes. Solbakken says that he and Brede Hangeland had a half-hour long chat with the recent triple winner on Tuesday evening. – We went through all the parties… no, Solbakken jokes. – We made the plan with regard to how he feels. I think we landed in a good place. He seems healthy, both in his head and his legs, emphasizes the national team manager. IN PLACE: Erling Braut Haaland outside the Ullevaal stadium. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB Completing a training session Part of the plan is to give Haaland, who only a few days ago helped win the Champions League with Manchester City and has since partied and celebrated in Ibiza and Manchester, a quiet start. – Today it must be a calm start where he is with the boys where he gets to train a bit with the ball, but not at the wild pace, says Solbakken. GOOD FEELING: Ståle Solbakken, Norway’s national team manager. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB – We will run eleven against eleven in the last half of the training in full swing, where we will change the team a bit. He is over it, he adds. There will be more eleven-on-eleven training in Thursday’s session, and Haaland will be there. Haaland’s striker partner on the national team, Alexander Sørloth, also had a chat with the Manchester City star on Tuesday evening. – It looked like he was in good shape and ready for the competition, says Sørloth to news. He was also in fine form during the celebration of the triple triumph: In three days the first of two very important international matches for Norway awaits. Scotland wait in front of a packed Ullevaal on Saturday, before another game against Cyprus is on the way on Tuesday. Norway has already had a bad start to the European Championship qualification with a loss and a draw away to Spain and Georgia, respectively, and is dependent on better points in the two upcoming matches, if Norway is to go to the European Championship in Germany next summer. Norway has not been in a championship since the EC 23 years ago. Thanks for the love At 15.46 on Tuesday afternoon, news’s photographer captured Haaland’s private plane on the runway at Gardermoen. A few minutes later the door opened and out stepped the super striker. For the occasion, dressed in black and with her hair hanging loose. Isabel Haugseng Johansen was also on the plane. The two have been pictured together on several occasions, including after the Champions League final. Later that evening, Haaland himself took to Instagram to thank for all the support he has received. – Thank you very much for the messages and all the love everyone. I’m so happy, the football star wrote to his over 32 million fans on Instagram. He wrote that above a picture of himself – dressed in Norwegian national team clothes. Now he will try to shift his focus from the triple triumph and celebration to important Norwegian national team matches. It is not necessarily the easiest, according to the national team manager. Solbakken has highlighted several times how Haaland must now be mentally ready for a new effort on the eve of a successful season. When asked by news about which buttons Solbakken should press, he replies: – It won’t be like I go into his room and give an Al Pacino speech like that now to get him started on Saturday. It’s about common sense. Rest, sleep, proper food and tactical training. I have to respect that we may have to add a slightly different twist to Saturday than with another player, considering what he has been through, says Solbakken.
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Haaland back with the national team – gets a quiet start – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
