Erling Haaland has been hammered by Norway’s manager after they stumbled to a goalless draw with Kazakhstan.
The Scandinavians headed east to face their opponents, regarded as minnows in the European football scene, but couldn’t find a way through as they left with a point and no goals. That is despite having the potency of Haaland in their ranks as well as the creativity of Martin Odegaard.
Haaland though has copped it from former manager Egil Olsen, who believes no other team will be held by Kazakhstan as he underlined their failure. The Manchester City star has had to face the music with his boss claiming it is “one of the worst things” he’s seen from the frontman.
Norway had more than 70 percent of the ball and had 19 attempts on goal – albeit only two of them found the target. Yet their opponents – ranked 59 places below them in FIFA’s rankings – held firm with the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner largely blamed.
Olsen told TV2 : “We have two world-class players in the team. Today Erling Braut Haaland was unfortunately far below par. It’s one of the worst things I’ve seen from Haaland. Martin Ødegaard flashes at times, but I have also seen him better. One point here is too bad.
“There are no other teams in this group that will concede points to Kazakhstan.”
Haaland doesn’t enjoy the luxuries he does at club level, but in him and Odegaard Norway have two of their most talented players in generations. That hasn’t helped them make a major tournament though, which remains an ambition for both players.
The City player has scored 31 goals since making his debut in 2019 and is currently two goals short of tying the nation’s scoring record. To further emphasize his quality, he leads all players in the top ten in strike rate.
Despite scoring seven goals—including two hat-tricks—in the first three league games, Haaland has been under the radar. The Norwegian has been recognized for his ability to link the squad and his overall play, despite occasionally having relatively low touch counts during games.
That said, he’s continued to score with regularity and defended his style last term.
“In the end, you can play football without touching the ball,” he said. “You can do it with movements, the mental part, and the awareness. If I can stretch centre-backs with a run, it’s hard, but it’s my job.”
