Norwegian striker Erling Haaland has already scored seven goals at the ongoing World Cup. His coach, however, also knows the lesser-known sides of the 24-year-old.
Norway’s coach Stale Solbakken said: “The hunger isn’t as great in training. That was the case in some sessions, to be honest.” Nevertheless, Haaland will start in the quarter-final against England in Miami on Saturday evening (11:00 p.m. / MagentaTV). “It’s no secret that the two are the match-winners for their team,” Solbakken said about the duel with Harry Kane.
The 58-year-old cited the climatic conditions as a factor. Currently, temperatures in Miami are around 36 degrees Celsius combined with very high humidity. Solbakken has therefore dosed his team’s training accordingly. “We trained very lightly. It was tactical sessions at low intensity. The sessions were also shorter,” Solbakken said. After the 2-1 win in the round of 16 against Brazil, his team needed an extra day to recover. With a total of five days off, this was not a problem.
Solbakken also emphasized the importance of the game: “All of Norway is looking forward to the match. It brings the country together. Maybe something like this will never happen again,” the coach said. Crown Prince Haakon has announced his attendance.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
