The upcoming international is the first since a disappointing June encounter that ended in a 1-2 loss against Greece and a 1-0 win against Luxembourg in two private internationals.

That achievement was by no means self-improvement for the «Solbakken project».

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Norwegian superstar Haaland was very clear that his level had to go up a few notches since then.

– From the meeting there, we may have to get better at everything, he said in cash.

He is also critical of his own achievements in his earlier collections. Although he was there scoring the one goal he has so far during Solbakken’s five games as boss.

– I have to score more goals, assist more goals. Involve me more in the game. Jump more. Yes, is there more to it than that? That may not be the case, Haaland said.

Ståle Solbakken agreed with Haaland, but believed that the conditions before the previous meeting could not be compared to today. At that time, most of the squad was out of season and at full speed into the summer break.

– But what we have to stop is to allow simple setbacks. If you take Norway’s last 25 throwbacks, it’s too easy. Watch Norway – Turkey, my first match, some of the games we offered between 1-0 to 2-0 are some of the best I’ve seen Norway in a very long time. We had two or three good chances, so we allowed a corner in the zone where we had our two best and biggest outsiders. Then the game is over. We have to avoid that. We have to be injured to score goals. We have to be more cynical in that phase, because we can’t afford it, he told NRK.

Against the Netherlands, Haaland will face Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk. Haaland rates the midfielder very highly.

– I’ve said it before. “He’s the best I’ve ever met,” said Haaland.

– What makes him the best stopper?

– I think he is the best, I think most other people in this room agree with me. He is very fast, strong and smart “bad”, according to the assessment of the Dortmund striker.

The 21-year-old hasn’t lost his night’s sleep even though he may meet the world’s best stop on Wednesday.

– I’m not really afraid of anyone, he said confidently.

Ståle Solbakken kinda thinks Holland should be afraid of Haaland.

– If we put Erling right on stage, I don’t think it matters who the opponent is in the right phase. We don’t talk much about van Dijk. I didn’t mention him, at least. “We’ve shown some clips from Holland and some small individual clips of the players,” said Solbakken.

– Little you have managed to analyze the new Dutch. Can say anything about that?

– We have an analyst who has worked for several years at Manchester United and with Louis van Gaal. If it helps us, we can only speculate, but at least we can’t lose anything on it. Then it’s the same for both teams that neither team has time to prepare. Then you can say that the Netherlands have the European Championship behind them, and long term before the European Championship, and may have an advantage there, but then they have changed coaches and maybe there will be some new ideas. This is a balancing act, Solbakken believes.

Not checking the table

Haaland says he doesn’t like spending too much energy on opponents. He himself came into the game full of confidence after winning the game against Hoffenheim in extra time in the last game.

He described his own form as «nice».

– There are some good matches and some not so good ones. It’s about finding stability where I am now. I have to develop and get better at it. “The body feels good and I’m looking forward to fighting,” he said.

– Did Norway have to win to get a group win? Ask the NTB reporter.

– You know it better than me.

– Didn’t you check the table?

– No, to be honest I haven’t checked. I think you know this better than I do, he replied.

Haaland has been relatively tight-lipped as well about the speculation that surrounds him on a weekly basis. Recently, he was linked with PSG by the French press.

– No comments, I’m here to talk about the national team.

Haaland will naturally be key for Norway against the Netherlands in Wednesday’s all-important international at the Ullevaal Stadium.

– Never measured on goals and scorers

Although Haaland has a strong seven goals in 12 internationals, he has not scored for Norway in four of his five games in 2021.

– With me, he is never measured on goals and passes that give goals, but also on work capacity and that he helps others, Ståle Solbakken told NRK.

The national team manager has long made it clear that he gave Haaland other tasks than the usual Dortmund striker.

– He (Haaland) may have to find himself in some situations he has to be the one to take on a bigger responsibility, for example, holding the ball in demanding situations, or doing some racing to open up to others, Solbakken stressed.

Amazing stats

In the club team, the 21-year-old is scoring goals at the same speed as people drink a cup of coffee. This striker in 64 games for Borussia Dortmund scored an incredible 63 goals and contributed with 23 goalscorers.

Therefore, it is no wonder that the national team manager Solbakken spends a lot of thought on how to get the best out of the striker also with the flag on his chest.

– I feel that I can do a better job with Ståle and the team to get the best out of my game, said Haaland himself.

So far it hasn’t been loosened up well for either the team or the super strikers under Solbakken.

During the previous qualifying rounds, Jærbuen were goalless off the pitch against Gibraltar, Turkey and Montenegro, and in three matches Norway scored “only” four goals, three of them against Gibraltar’s small putt.

The World Cup qualifiers continue with matches against the Netherlands on September 1 (at home), Latvia on September 4 (away) and Gibraltar on September 7 (at home).

The group is completely open after the first three games have been played. Norway’s win against the Netherlands in the next match will provide Solbakken and his team-mates with a good starting point to progress, despite the fact that tough away fixtures against Turkey and the Netherlands remain.

The match starts against the Netherlands on September 1 at 20.45.

– I think they will have a lot of balls, but we will get chances. We have to play a top game. We have to defend ourselves well and dare to have the ball. “But I think Holland will have the most balls,” Haaland said of what he thinks will be the picture of the game.

Sander Berge tested positive for coronavirus before the national team meeting. Thus, he missed Norway’s September match in the World Cup qualifiers.

Haaland thought it was a boring message to receive.

– It’s a shame that he’s positive. It is unfortunate that fully vaccinated people test positive. “It’s a shame for the team and the world,” said the striker.