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After a total of 13 years at FC Copenhagen, Ståle Solbakken has been fired as the club’s manager due to poor results.
TV 2 expert Jesper Mathisen believes Solbakken is now a clear first choice to replace Lars Lagerbäck.
– Solbakken said yes in 2012, and I think now he will also be interested in taking over Norway, although naturally it will also be relevant for foreign clubs, Mathisen noted.
At the press conference on Saturday before the Norwegian Nations League game against Romania, Lagerbäck was naturally asked enough questions about Solbakken.
FCK leader: – Personally, it is the most difficult decision I have made.
– If you want my advice, of course I will appear
The 72-year-old did not want to speculate on whether Ståle Solbakken could be his successor as coach of the national team.
– It’s not my job to evaluate it. NFF must do its evaluations the day I resign. If you want my advice, of course I will appear, but I will take it with the NFF, and not with the media, Lagerbäck said.
Following the TV 2 press conference, Lagerbäck made it clear that the firing of Ståle Solbakken by FC Copenhagen may have been a hasty decision.
– This is elite football, if you don’t get results there will always be discussion. But it may be premature for a coach to retire or the club to decide to do so. It may be a bit hasty, but it belongs in this game. This is how it works in the world of football. Questions are asked both internally and externally, there is pressure from many stakeholders, commercial things and other issues, he told TV 2.
Lagerbäck was reminded that he had previously said that Ståle Solbakken should be a natural choice as coach of the Norwegian national team.
– I said that when I was hired. It was on the basis that I think the best thing is that a coach with a Norwegian passport trains Norway. I think it is the most suitable for all Nordic countries. That there is a coach from his home country who knows Norwegian football better than a foreigner. Norway and Sweden are equal football cultures from the management side. But right now I don’t want to comment on that. I don’t want to externally influence what happens the day I quit by considering who it will be. But if the NFF asks me, I’ll tell you, he said at the press conference.
However, the former Iceland coach is not surprised by the speculation that has emerged after Solbakken’s firing.
– It’s a repeat of what I’ve experienced before. I did not expect anything other than the debate between fans and things like that. It is quite natural. If you don’t get results, you get criticized. It is a natural part. But if it’s okay, I don’t know, he thought.
Motivated to continue
Promise that you have the motivation to continue.
– Right now the motivation is the same as yesterday. I don’t think you should tackle that part. Now the focus is on these awaiting battles. I am fully motivated to continue and hope to win the games in the Nations League group, he said.
Drillo stated after Serbia’s defeat that it would be prudent to see if the NFF could make a change on the coaches’ side if the results were not in the remaining Nations League matches.
Solbakken kicks shock the Danes
The national team manager responded diplomatically to the statements of Norway’s most successful manager of all time.
– No, he is no longer an active coach. He works in the media and is free to share his opinions. It is not about loyalty or disloyalty. He sees it from his point of view. That discussion arises, it is so common. When you come out with high expectations in a playoff, and it doesn’t go as expected, there is always discussion, he replied.
– Are you motivated not to fulfill the contract?
– I closed the door before and said that I would retire. But now we will complete the League of Nations, and what happens after that, we will have to take then, he concluded.
Refset media
Lagerbäck believes that the media helped generate high expectations ahead of the Serbia game and recalls that Norway is currently undergoing a generational change. He berated parts of the media.
– There will always be a special situation internally and externally after such a match. It is quite interesting. You in the media may have other intentions, my job is to make a team work. If you look at the Norwegian team now, we are in a generational change. I think Serbia is one of the most difficult teams to face in the rematch. 18 of his 23 players on the team play in the top five leagues. Most have been there for three or four years. (Aleksandar) Kolarov won the Premier League in 2012, and by then almost none of our players had started preschool. By generating expectations, you build a castle in the air and believe that you are better than you are. I don’t think it’s good to generate such high expectations from players, Lagerbäck summarized.
The national team coach also reacted to writings about poor match preparation before the playoff match against Serbia, which Norway lost 1-2.
– I do not agree with what the media wrote about match training. These are few teams that prepare more professionally than we do. Whether we prepare well or badly, people are free to comment. But we had a plan A, B and C if the game didn’t work out, thought the Swede.
