A little over a week ago, the Spanish coaching legend Rafael Benitez opened up to news and said that he was interested in the job as Norwegian national team coach. Ståle Solbakken has announced that he is most likely done as coach of the men’s national team after the WC in a year and a half. – Promise to have a feeling In a recent episode of the news podcast Bakrommet, Solbakken says that he does not think the Spaniard would be the right heir for himself. – I am unsure whether he will be the next Norwegian national team coach. I say that with a view to building on what we have done so far, says Solbakken to news on Friday. – What is it about his opinions that makes you not think he could build on what you have created? – You always have a feeling – it’s about personality – about how to get along with a group. Now I don’t know how he does it, but I’m allowed to have a feeling. Benitez told Solbakken The national team coach met Benitez in connection with the so-called cup final seminar last weekend. There, the Spaniard is said to have told Solbakken what he had said about the national team job. – He mentioned it in one sentence. He believed that it was taken out of context, as everyone says when they have said something they really mean, but which they do not want to be published. Then I said “fine”. Then we had a football discussion, says Solbakken. The 56-year-old meets news in the podcast “Backroom”. There he further says that the style of play he has introduced in the national team and the one Benitez stands for are too different. – There is a style of play there that we have been working with now, which I think the NFF are very happy about, and which I think they will continue with. Ståle Solbakken and Norway won their National League group this autumn. Photo: NTB – Important discussion news expert Kristoffer Løkberg sat together with Solbakken during the Bakrommet recording when the national team manager went to great lengths to ask the NFF to look at other ways than Rafael Benitez when his successor is to be hired. Løkberg understands that Solbakken says what he does. – I think the discussion is important. Benitez specifically is probably not the main point here, the main point is that in terms of playing style there are things that, according to Ståle, should be continued in order to have the greatest possible chance for the Norwegian side to be the best possible. He continues: – It is an important discussion, because in that case a new national team manager is to be hired, so you can’t just pick from everywhere, Løkberg believes. He believes the NFF must employ the next national team coach based on the kind of playing style and football mindset, not name and reputation. – Then you have to see which trainers suit this and that type of profile. When Ståle is left with the impression that Benitez thinks quite differently to himself, that he is perhaps a little too defensive in his thinking, then it is an important signal to take with him, Løkberg believes. LIKES THE DISCUSSION: Kristoffer Løkberg understands what Solbakken means. Photo: Nicolai Eid Trondal / news – Do you think Solbakken is saying this to protect his own job and perhaps wanted to keep it a little longer than what was originally planned, i.e. until 2026? – I think Ståle is super motivated in his job, and of course he will talk himself up and forward, there is no doubt about that. I also think that he answers evasively about how tempting it might be to continue as a coach towards the European Championships in Great Britain and Ireland in 2028. – It would have been exciting to hear what he would have answered if Lise Klaveness and Karl-Petter Løken had come with a new contract today that lasts until after the EC in 2028. I think he would have taken it, he says further. Passionate Liverpool fan Rafael Benitez is currently out of work after being sacked at Celta Vigo in March. There he trained, among others, Jørgen Strand Larsen. He has previously won La Liga, the Club World Cup and the Europa League. But he is probably best known for winning the Champions League in 2005, in the match where Liverpool were three goals down at half-time, but eventually won over AC Milan on penalties. Rafael Benitez and John Arne Riise had two Champions League finals together, of which they won one. Photo: FRANCK FIFE / AFP He was reminded of that match by Solbakken. – We had a nice chat. I’m a passionate Liverpool fan, so we went through Istanbul in 2005. We discussed the use of Gerrard, because he was often on the right and behind Torres. – He believed that it was about Gerrard not being disciplined enough. It was interesting. Then we sat in a panel debate afterwards. There we had slightly different opinions, and did not agree on everything. Solbakken faces a quiet winter. His first match with the national team is in March, when World Cup qualification starts. Ståle Solbakken learned on Friday which teams Norway will meet the following teams in order to qualify for the WC in 2026: Norway’s WC qualification group The loser of GERMANY – ITALY NORWAY ISRAEL ESTLAND MOLDOVA Published 13.12.2024, at 16.00 Updated 13.12.2024, at 16.05
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