After Norway’s EC qualifiers were rounded off with 3-3 away to Scotland on Sunday evening, national team manager Ståle Solbakken talks about what he feels has been a “surreal” EC qualifier. – It is not possible to explain In front of news, he states that he has never had a period as a coach with more pole out than he has experienced this time. – Never, not close. I’ve never been close. It is impossible to explain, says Solbakken to news. – Do you think the Norwegian people buy it or do you see it as an excuse? – Not an excuse, but I don’t think they buy it. It would certainly be good if they did, but I can’t do anything about it. I have to be cold and do what I believe in, Solbakken answers to news. One person who is fed up with what he experiences as explanations, is former national team captain Kjetil Rekdal. – Can’t bear to listen to it The sacked RBK coach followed the Scotland match as an expert for VGTV and does not respond directly to Solbakken’s statements, but states to the newspaper that he is tired of Norway’s slumps being explained away in one way or another. – Then come all the arguments. I can’t bear to listen to it. We are constantly served it when we don’t deliver, says Kjetil Rekdal to VG. The coach profile and expert has had enough of what he perceives as Norwegian excuses when things go wrong. – Nobody listens to it anymore. We’ve heard it for 25 years. It’s the same rule over and over again, with different coaches, teams, compositions… The Norwegian men’s team pretty much always loses when there are decisive matches, he tells VG. – I’m sorry Solbakken assures that Norway’s qualification decline hurts him more than anyone could imagine. – There is no one who has it worse than me, there is no one who has it worse than us. And I’m sorry we didn’t make it. But there is a completely surreal quality here, it doesn’t work, says Solbakken. See the scores from Scotland-Norway here. Norway conceded 12 goals in the eight qualifying matches in the group, more than any other group runners-up. The only third with worse statistics on the number of late goals is Luxembourg (19), but they have played 10 games and are playoff ready. Solbakken labels the statistics as “surreal”. – Before we selected this squad, we analyzed the entire qualifying round – both subjectively and the WyScout numbers. Before this round, Ørjan (Nyland) was the goalkeeper who had the tenth fewest shots on goal. Only nine have had fewer. And there are only four or five teams that have had fewer chances against them. So we are the team with the biggest difference between “expected goals” against and what we let in. Then we have to discuss whether it is a coincidence or whether the chances are so great, says Solbakken. – When you get those numbers in terms of goals from behind, does it make you want to turn around and do something different towards the next qualifier? – No, but that’s exactly why… If it had been the case that we had conceded so many chances that there was a match between the number of chances and goals against – then it would have been obvious. But when it is not, we have to study it even more closely, he says. – Have you considered switching to three stoppers? – Everyone thinks that is the solution. But we have a basic game offensively, we must have Martin (Ødegaard) in the best position, we must have Erling (Haaland) in the best position. We have no plans to play with three defenders. Because Leo Østigård, if we’re going to build something around him, never plays with three defenders, and isn’t that fussy about it either, he answers. IT’S NOT POSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN: That’s what Ståle Solbakken thinks about this qualification and everything. Photo: NTB Solbakken: – It doesn’t rhyme. He says that the national team, the night before the Scotland match, talked about the fact that they had not conceded a goal from a set-piece until Sunday. And didn’t receive a penalty. At Hampden Park, both happened. – So there is no good answer to that, but the numbers do not add up – neither the objective nor the subjective ones, he says. Solbakken receives support from the players that the margins have been against them this time. — When you look back at this qualification, perhaps with the exception of the Spain matches, we have performed better than our opponents. Had some bad luck and margins against. It might be there. The way we play today and in many of the games we have played very well and had a bit of bad luck. I am absolutely sure that it will come, says Oscar Bobb. – We have been very unlucky, I think. It’s something we have to look at and get better at next time, says Kristian Thorstvedt. He is not the only one with a Norwegian passport who is disappointed. Now there will again be a championship without Norwegian participation. Next important international match? It is played in September. – Sometimes you feel like digging in, but it doesn’t help. The fact that we are not in the EC ahead of the Scotland team here is extremely disappointing, I have to say that, Leo Østigård asserts.
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