Vi ser oss blinde på hvor gode vi er som fotballnasjon. Det som gjør oss blinde, er selvfølgelig the good old Drillo days, der vi spilte det motstanderne kalte en totalt destruktiv og kjedelig fotball. Det så sjeldent vakker ut, men du verden så vakkert det var å oppleve lille Norge i de store mesterskapene. Goal.com husker knapt Drillo, det engelske fotballmediet er mer opptatt av at et landslag med verdens neste beste spiller og en av Premier Leagues beste midtbanespillere roter bort nok en direkte mesterskapsbillett. For Goal var det spesielt Erling Haaland som må se seg selv i speilet når det skal forklares hvorfor det trynet for Norge i den viktige Skottland-kampen.
Vi har valgt å ikke google translate Goal.coms analyse av Norges misære, det de opplever som sterkt påvirket av Erling Haalands inngang til Skottland-kampen på Ullevaal – en kamp som skulle få Norge inn på rett spor.
LES: Haaland sender stressnivået i taket hos Manchester City-ledelsen
Could Erling Haaland really miss out on Euro 2024? How Norway have messed up qualifying for another major tournament
«Norway’s hopes of automatic qualification for Euro 2024 were ended by Spain on October 15. In truth, though, the fatal blow was delivered four months previously. On June 17, Norway suffered a 2-1 loss at home to Scotland from which they never really recovered».
«The date of the game was hugely significant because it arrived just one week after the Champions League final in Istanbul, where Manchester City clinched a historic treble with a 1-0 victory over Inter. It was an achievement that sparked wild celebrations among Pep Guardiola’s squad, and Erling Haaland played a full part in the festivities».
«He was well within his rights to do that, too. Haaland had played a pivotal part in the treble, breaking the Premier League single-season goals record and finishing as the Champions League’s top scorer. But the Norwegian is renowned for his maturity and professionalism, so he was never going to go ‘full Jack Grealish’ on a party that started in Turkey and ended in England – but featured a quick trip to Ibiza in between.»
«So, while Scotland assistant coach John Carver quipped ahead of the crunch Group A clash in Oslo that he hoped Haaland was «still partying», Norway boss Stale Solbakken had no concerns over his main man turning up for a vital qualifier worse for wear».
…It quickly became clear, though, that two days of raucous celebrations had done nothing to help Haaland shake off the mental and physical effects of a 53-game season at City, which, it has to be said, was starting to take its toll on the 23-year-old – who scored once in his final eight appearances in all competitions – long before the conclusion of the campaign».
«Haaland recently claimed that during the long spells in which he barely touches the ball during City’s patient and prolonged build-up play, he often enters into a trance-like state. «I am just kind of walking around, standing up there, making movements in my own world and not kind of… It’s difficult to explain,» he admitted to The Telegraph last month: «I go out of my body and become a zombie. It’s kind of a bit of a ‘zone out’. Like looking around. Waiting for the chance. And when the chance comes I know I have to be ready, you know?»
«Unfortunately, for Norway, that’s exactly how he played against Scotland – like a zombie.»
«After kicking off their qualification campaign with a 3-0 loss in Spain and a desperately disappointing 1-1 draw with Georgia, Norway desperately need to beat an-inform Scotland side, and Haaland gave them a deserved lead with a 61st-minute penalty.»
«Something wasn’t right, though. It wasn’t just the lack of involvement; there was a worrying lack of sharpness about the deadliest striker in the game today. And the longer the game went on, the worse it got. Haaland was quite clearly spent, and he knew it too. He asked to be substituted and Solbakken had no hesitation about replacing his star striker with six minutes of normal time remaining.»
«As the manager told reporters after the game, «In the last few minutes Erling was on the field, we played with one less man. He was completely empty. He had run out of steam.» Scotland hadn’t, though. Lyndon Dykes equalised three minutes after Haaland’s withdrawal, and then the Scots struck again almost immediately, with Kenny McLean’s match-winner silencing the Ullevaal Stadion.»
Her er resten av analysen av Haaland og Norges manglende evne til å ta EM-billetten i kvaliken.
