Erling Haaland has come out in defence of Norway manager Stale Solbakken’s much-debated decision to rest several first-choice players in their heavy loss to France, saying that the outcome would have been the same regardless. The star striker maintained that Solbakken’s rotation strategy leaves Norway in a stronger position heading into the knockout rounds, despite the widespread backlash.

Solbakken stands firm on his bold selection move

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken faced sharp criticism after making as many as ten changes to his starting lineup for their crucial World Cup group-stage match against France. With top spot in the group still possible, his decision to field what was effectively a second-string team drew disapproval from both supporters and analysts. Frederik Aursnes was the only player retained from the previous fixture.

France took full advantage of Norway’s weakened side, cruising to a commanding 4-1 victory. Major names such as Haaland, Martin Odegaard, and Antonio Nusa were all kept on the bench as Solbakken focused on preserving their fitness for the knockout rounds.

Haaland and Solbakken justify the controversial approach

Solbakken said he had no regrets about his selection, stressing that his main objective was to give Norway the best possible chance to progress further in the tournament rather than risk injuries to key players during the group stage.

“I would do it again immediately,” Solbakken said after the match, as quoted by De Telegraaf. “We are here to go as far as possible and I have to make the decisions that I think will take us the furthest. The only thing I feel sorry about is for the travelling fans who wanted to see Erling, Martin, and the other stars.”

Haaland echoed his manager’s sentiments and dismissed claims that Norway’s strongest lineup could have changed the result.

“I said beforehand that I don’t care, and that is still the case,” Haaland admitted. “France was the better team anyway. Even with our strongest eleven, I don’t think we could have beaten them.”

France’s dominance highlights Norway’s uphill task

After watching Les Bleus dominate the match, Haaland praised France’s depth and quality, saying that they have world-class talent throughout their squad and are strong contenders to go far in the competition.

“France has world-class players everywhere,” Haaland added. “[Kylian] Mbappe, [Michael] Olise, [Ousmane] Dembele… they just keep coming. They will cause problems for any team and I genuinely think they can go very far. What they showed against us was frightening.”

Norway shift focus to the knockout rounds

Norway now turn their attention to the Round of 32 clash against Ivory Coast. Solbakken will hope his strategy of resting top players proves successful, with Haaland, Odegaard, and the rest of the first-choice squad expected to return fresh and ready for the crucial knockout encounter.