It is at stake for Erling Braut Haaland and Norway – Dagsavisen
There are many who shrugs off the Nations League, but when this tournament is now to end in four days, we can at least state that there is a lot at stake. This is something much more than training matches.
Norway leads its pool, and if we do the same after Tuesday’s game against Serbia, there will be promotion to the A level where Europe’s best nations are located. In other words, tougher and more attractive opponents the next time this tournament is played.
If Norway wins its pool also gives it better seeding in the qualification for the European Championship play-offs in 2024, a draw that takes place in Germany in two weeks. Getting to the first play-offs in 24 years is basically what Ståle Solbakken’s entire project is all about.
If Norway wins your pool, you also get an extra chance to qualify for the aforementioned play-off if you are not successful in the qualification itself. It will continue throughout 2023.
And then we fix our gaze against the Stozice stadium in Ljubljana tonight. Should Norway win there at the same time as Serbia drops points against Sweden, Norway is the winner of the pool before Tuesday’s final match against Serbia at a sold-out Ullevaal stadium. But Slovenia and Sweden also have something to play for: Avoiding relegation to C level in Europe. They can make up for it in the last game anyway.
When Norway had beaten Sweden twice this summer, and Erling Braut Haaland had scored both at Friends Arena and Ullevaal, the Swedish press was ready: Norway had taken over as number two in the Nordics, behind WC-ready Denmark. It’s not that obvious. It is only exceptionally that Sweden is not in the championship. It is highly unusual that Norway is there. And the balance of power is in Sweden’s favor until Norway not only gets to a championship, but also performs there.
And so it is that Ståle Solbakken, Erling Braut Haaland and Martin Ødegaard are in the breach for now. When Braut met the media earlier this week, he was asked about ranking club success against national teams. Winning the World Cup with Norway would surpass everything. But that opportunity will only come in the biggest World Cup finals of all time, both in terms of number of countries and geography: In Canada, the USA and Mexico in 2026. But Norway’s biggest challenge is still to manage to qualify.
And then we go down to the level of detail about what this team looks like. Behind Norway’s two world stars are, as in all teams, players of varying quality. We have many foreign professionals, but far too few of them play regularly for their club teams. We have centre-backs who are not first choice in their clubs. But we have the captain of Arsenal and the top scorer of Manchester City and the Premier League. It overshadows most things for most people, except for Ståle Solbakken and his support staff.
Now they lay a plan to beat the Slovenian team who managed a 0-0 draw at Ullevaal earlier this year. Football is fresh produce. And just tonight it’s all about getting the ball past Jan Oblak. It doesn’t matter which of the Norwegian players can do it. but no one will be surprised if it is Erling Braut Haaland. That is the order before every single international match now. We have players with X factor, but some with A, B and C factor as well.
Kick-off on Saturday at 18.00.
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