[ad_1]
Of: Anton Johansson, Malin Wahlberg
Published:
Updated:
Photo: VEGARD WIVESTAD GRØTT / BILDBYRÅN
Lars Lagerbäck leveled harsh criticism of Alexander Sörloth after a heated dispute.
Now the Norwegian offensive star strikes back.
At the same time, Sörloth’s father, Göran, believes that the son and Lagerbäck should “shed the fat.”
Lars Lagerbäck and Alexander Sörloth smoked together after Norway lost to Serbia and missed the European Championship. According to the Norwegian media, the forward must have scolded the team captain in front of the entire team.
On Monday, Lagerbäck gave his version and criticized the forward.
– I have had many football discussions with players. They have been based on facts and about football. But never anything that has come close to this, Lagerbäck said in a press release, continuing:
– Alexander, however, brought up several accusations that do not concern how we play soccer, but rather that Per Joar Hansen (assistant, editor’s note) and I are incompetent as coaches both in terms of leadership and soccer.
“Break your own principles”
Photo: VEGARD WIVESTAD GRØTT / BILDBYRÅN
Lars Lagerbäck.
Sörloth does not share Lagerbäck’s image.
– I’ve never said that anyone on the coaching staff is incompetent. Never. After the players were asked to provide feedback, I said that I was very critical of the way we prepared for the game against Serbia. Even against the tactical decisions that were made along the way, he tells Norwegian NTB and continues:
– I have always liked honest, direct and clear people. This time it became too light. So clear that they are violating 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 a team.
“You never sent me”
Sörloth says he had actually put the matter behind him after he and Lagerbäck shook hands and “looked into each other’s eyes.”
– It says in the NFF press release that I do not want to comment further. That is not true. I wanted to take it directly to interested people. 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. But they never sent it to me, says Sörloth and continues:
– Having said this. It is not a shame to me. I have the best job in the world. Now I’m leaving this behind. I will surely miss the open goal more times. But I can promise one thing: I will give my all for Norway.
Sörloth missed an open goal in a match against Cyprus 2018, which Lagerbäck raised in connection with the dispute. Something for which the league captain also apologized in the press release.
Daddy’s call
VG has been in contact with Sörloth’s father, Göran, who is usually outspoken. This time, however, he chose to tone it down, but still came with a clear call to his son and Lars Lagerbäck:
– Now is the time to form a team. Time to stop this lubrication. Now it is Norway that applies, he says.
Published:
READ ON
Sportbladet – Allsvenskan
Subscribe to our newsletter on the Allsvenskan: chronicles, reports, interviews, reviews and rankings.
