Now they have got what they wanted. Hege Riise made history as manager of the Norwegian national team.
After going through a tough and honest evaluation following the previous championship which was once again very disappointing, a thorough internal clean-up has been carried out in the women’s national team camp.
A lot has been leaked, and we know there have been disputes between players and coaching staff before.
Now it’s up to the players to show that they are truly heading in the same direction and stand behind the new team that will exist in the future.
Now they don’t have to complain anymore. While not a solution while Leif Gunnar Smerud is a coach at the top of their wish list, they have been pushed to make changes on the coaching side.
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Those who were there were not allowed to continue, and I expect the players to show themselves in a very different way to what we saw at the World Cup.
At least it wasn’t good enough.
Now I expect to see a group of offensive players in attacking positions. I want there to be a unified group that supports this new policy and shows that the change is right.
That is the most important thing for me.
Everyone knows that this is not a “quick fix”, that as long as you replace one coach with another, things will automatically get much better.
But now everyone who cares about Norwegian women’s football should see a group of players who are truly showing that they want something.
I myself have been part of several player groups, which were involved in a similar process to that of the current women’s national team. My impression is that players in such situations often want to show that what you fight for, you fight for a reason.
After the WC slump, and all the noise that came along the way and after that championship, a lot of talk about infidelity and leaks shouldn’t happen.
But I think you have to change it up a bit.
If internal disputes continue to leak, it is at least a management problem and a player problem.
I’ve heard Hege Riise say in various situations that it would be a shame if something leaked, that you have to have a ceiling inside, but outside you have to stand together.
That’s great, but when you can’t do that, it’s not the players who are disloyal.
Then there is the issue of management and the coaching group not being able to handle the individuals there.
Of course this is difficult and demandingyears several players on the national team are major international stars.
But as I stated when Caroline Graham Hansen sat on the bench at the WC:
When you fail to get world stars working in a team, you have failed as a coach. This is mostly the Hege Riise road.
At the same time, this will be one of Leif Gunnar Smerud’s biggest challenges this fall.
I recently told him directly.
She recently invited me to a lunch to talk about women’s football and the women’s national team, with whom I have been close for many years, and I loved the curiosity and interest she showed.
To me, he seemed detail oriented and professional. It is now up to Smerud to explain clearly what the players can expect from him as manager, and what he can expect from the players.
And then he has to fulfill those requirements in the same way that the group of players has to do it.
I think Smerud is coming at a very good time, and my impression is that the playing team is positive about him.
This means he has a good starting point to get a number of things done in a short time.
But Smerud will also be measured on how he handles a group of players, something Hege Riise has been heavily criticized for.
While I have a good impression of him, the fall season will show whether he can get used to a group of players performing but united.
If he fails to do so, he will not be allowed to continue his work.
Unfortunately for Smerud, it’s not just up to him. If they want to succeed, players must look at themselves in the mirror, realize that it is not just Hege Riise who is the problem and start moving in the same direction.
So it will be fun to follow the women’s national team in the future.
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