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Alexander Sørloth strikes back at national team coach Lars Lagerbäck, but says he will still give his all for the team.
Lagerbäck and the Norwegian Football Association published their version of the so-called Sørloth case on Thursday in a press release and on the NFF website.
Lagerbäck and Sørloth ended in a verbal clinch after Norway lost the European Championship rematch against Serbia recently. It happened during an appraisal meeting that was said to be quite long, hectic, and eventually hot.
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Later on Thursday, the Leipzig player arrived via his agent Morten Wivestad at the NTB field.
– I’ve never said that anyone on the coaching staff is incompetent. Never. After we were asked to give feedback from the players, I said that I was very critical of the way we were preparing for the game against Serbia. Also the tactical evaluations that were made along the way, says Sørloth.
– Everything I said in the meetings with the coaching staff was about professional aspects of football with the wish that the team is even better prepared for the games. And above all this.
Honestly
Sørloth continues: – I have always supported people who are honest, direct and clear. This time it became too light. So clear that they violate their own principles of not taking internal disagreements with the press. Suddenly, it was okay to write a press release about what people say and do in closed meetings. So you feel lonely when you really want to be on a team.
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– Actually, I’m done with this case. We had “shook hands” and looked into each other’s eyes. And that’s how I like it. There must be room for criticism and disappointment in a team. In the same way there must be room for rejoicing and boasting. We often wear big shoes, then we have to endure that we sometimes step on our toes. The NFF press release states that it did not want to comment further.
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– Is not true. It would take it directly to the interested parties. When I understood that there would be an NFF press release about what happened at an internal player meeting, I expressed a desire to see it before it was published. So I could add something. They never sent it to me.
– I’ll give everything for Norway
Sørloth concludes his summary: – That said. It is not a shame to me. I have the best job in the world. Now I’m killing this case for my part. I will probably lose the open goal again. But I can promise one thing. I will give everything for Norway.
Lagerbäck version
Lagerbäck recounted his side of the case in a press release early Thursday.
– I tolerate well that there are disagreements on professional football issues. Alexander, however, presented several accusations that did not refer to how we played football, but kept saying that Per Joar Hansen and I were incompetent as coaches both in terms of leadership and football, says the Swede in a NFF press release.
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– After 30 years in international football, I have never experienced that players have crossed the border in this way. I have had many discussions about soccer with players that have been based on facts and about soccer. But nothing has ever come close to this, he continues.
Lagerbäck is at the same time self-critical considering that he referred to a previous match against Cyprus in the discussion with Sørloth.
Towards the end of the meeting, the coaches (Frode Grodås, Kenneth Wilsgaard, Per Joar Hansen and myself) decided that we should leave the room and let the players discuss how we should function in the future. When we left the room, I sadly lost my patience. Then came my statement on Cyprus and I pointed out: “You were not so arrogant two years ago in Cyprus,” says Lagerbäck, continuing:
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– I regret this choice of words that came after a long and heated discussion. This was an attempt to make Alexander understand that he has to adapt to how the team should work. For me, it’s about creating a culture of good performance.
– Not unnatural
The director of the national team also points out that conflicts are not entirely uncommon in the environment of a national team.
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– Over the years, I have worked with four different national teams, all with the same leadership philosophy. It is based on the players understanding why we do what we do, that everyone takes personal responsibility for their own achievements and for the achievements of the national team on and off the field. At the same time, it is not uncommon for conflicts to arise in performance cultures, Lagerbäck says in a press release sent by the football association.
Norway will play three international matches in November. They go against Israel (h), Romania (b) and Austria (b). The withdrawal is scheduled for Monday, November 2.
(© NTB)
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