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Former national team captain and current TV 2 pundit Brede Hangeland is happy that he boiled into the national team atmosphere after the bitter playoff loss to Serbia.
But he is surprised that the situation has escalated to the point where Lars Lagerbäck claims today that Alexander Sørloth exceeded a limit that he had never experienced during his 30 years as coach of the national team.
– In general, I think it is a good sign for the group that there are strong discussions, that there are disputes and disappointment after that match. It would be weak if this was just overlooked with a “yes, yes” and a shrug.
Lagerbäck on the Sørloth case: – I never experienced anything like this
– But that such a heated discussion has broken out, and that no one has managed to calm everything down, surprises me a lot. Either by those who were arguing, or by some of the others in the room. Now I know what those sessions are like: 80 percent of those in there wish they could fall into a hole or look at their shoelaces. But that there weren’t a few more adults in the room, that surprises me, says Hangeland.
Skinny and pathetic
The normally sane Lagerbäck has admitted that he was so provoked by Sørloth that he broke a two-year boom with an open goal against Cyprus. At the same time, the Swede claims that Sørloth not only limited his criticism to the purely professional football team, but also accused the coaching staff of incompetence as leaders.
Hangeland feels that he had to be present in the room to be able to say something solid about the conflict that has arisen.
– But let’s say that Sørloth has said so: then that comment is as uneven and in many ways as pathetic as Lagerbäck’s Cyprus comment. You can imagine an argument in which words fall that obviously you should not say, but that come in a discussion where the curtain is lowered. Everyone knows what it can be like when you get so angry that you don’t know what you’re doing. But I’m surprised he went as far as he obviously did, he says.
In the NFF press release, it does not appear that the parties have cut and buried the ax. Alexander Sørloth declined to comment on the matter, while Lagerbäck says he “to the best hopes of the national team that Alexander lives up to what we agreed to so we can put this behind us.
– How do you interpret that part of the press release?
– I think the management of the national team hoped to be done with this, and maybe Sørloth is too. But an important point here, if we look at it from the side of the national team: it is a terrible defeat that this has ended in the media and should be discussed by people like us. This is perhaps the lowest level of the whole case. Rule number one in a national team is broken here, namely that things that happen at players’ meetings should not be read in the papers afterwards, Hangeland says, explaining:
The captain’s team supports Lagerbäck in the Sørloth conflict
– I sat down and thought about my time in the national team. There were many episodes with fire in the tent after a bad performance. There were fights and people who almost stood up and yelled at each other in the evaluations. It is part of the game, but when it ends in the public space and people like us start to think about it, it is a great defeat for the entire team.
– What do you think of the national team coach moving away from his own principle of keeping things internal and adopting such a strong agreement with Sørloth?
– Obviously he has felt the need for that, because as I said, it is that this filtered the great defeat here. That press release only provides more ammunition for the media and again there are two things that stand out to me: that no one managed to lower the temperature at the meeting, and that it ended up in the media. There are two giant bugs in that group, Hangeland says.
IT WAS DESTROYED: Alexander Sørloth was sent off by the team for the last game against Northern Ireland, the night after the beating at the players’ meeting. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB Photo: Fredrik Varfjell
Ask the players to take responsibility
– Will it be difficult for Lagerbäck to eliminate Sørloth in the next squad if the situation does not change in November?
– They have to talk to each other, and I hope by all means that they avoid such a situation. It’s hard for me to think of anything, so you have to get into the heads of those involved. But it should always be possible to clean the air after such a case and move on.
– Who should calm the situation?
– It can be anyone who feels committed to him. Support staff and players who have been there for a long time must feel compelled to cool down.
– What should happen within the player pool now before the next meeting in November?
– As necessary, I hope some phone calls will be taken. I think that is natural. Between different players on the team, to make sure everything is as it should be. If I were on the captaincy team, I would feel responsible for it. If there are things that are not resolved, all good forces should step in now, says Hangeland.
