Is Haaland a flop in International games?

[Frank]

Norway will have to play the playoffs before it will be determined whether they will qualify for Euro 2024. Among their ranks is Erling Haaland, the best striker right now in the world that score goals with ease at Manchester City.

Do you think Haaland is not giving his all for the national team?

 

[Riberet19]

Well, I think that one player alone cannot solve all the problems of a team, if the other players do not also do their part and play football well, Haaland alone cannot do magic. Manchester City has a world-class team, there Haaland can play his best football, which does not happen in the Norwegian national team.

 

[Frank]

Well, I think that one player alone cannot solve all the problems of a team, if the other players do not also do their part and play football well, Haaland alone cannot do magic. Manchester City has a world-class team, there Haaland can play his best football, which does not happen in the Norwegian national team.

The difference across boards between these teams is clear to see. It is important that people understand it. Haaland, just like you mentioned, can only do his level and nothing more attached to it. He needs good defenders who will ensure that they don't concede as well.

 

[Riberet19]

The difference across boards between these teams is clear to see. It is important that people understand it. Haaland, just like you mentioned, can only do his level and nothing more attached to it. He needs good defenders who will ensure that they don't concede as well.

It is clear, let's just look at how Messi played when he played for FC Barcelona in the decade between 2010 and 2020 and how he has played for other teams, there is no difference, a good team that supports you is crucial to display your talent, it is of no use to play very well if you don't have support because soccer is 11 vs 11 and not 11 vs 1.

 

[Ja sa bong]

Norway will have to play the playoffs before it will be determined whether they will qualify for Euro 2024. Among their ranks is Erling Haaland, the best striker right now in the world that score goals with ease at Manchester City.

Do you think Haaland is not giving his all for the national team?

Only Erling Haaland wouldn't be able to carry Norway on his own. He is not Cristiano Ronaldo and even Cristiano Ronaldo had good teammates who helps him out in Portugal. Erling Haaland have scored many goals for his country but it's not enough.

 

[Heatman]

Erling Haaland have been able to score 27 goals for his country Norway. Jorgen Juve is the Norway's all-time top goal scorer with 33 goals in 45 appearances. I believe that it's not going to take long and Erling Haaland will break that record to become the all time highest goal scorer in Norway national team.

 

[McIrx]

27 goals in 28 games is definitely not a stat associated with a flop at any capacity. Expecting him to single handedly drag Norway to tournaments is unfair on the young lad. Football isn't a one-man game, at least 11 proper players are needed to achieve excellent results. Does Norway have 11 proper players? Asides Haaland, Odegaard and, to a lesser extent, Sørloth, the Norwegian national team is full of average players. They can only do so much...

 

[Heatman]

27 goals in 28 games is definitely not a stat associated with a flop at any capacity. Expecting him to single handedly drag Norway to tournaments is unfair on the young lad. Football isn't a one-man game, at least 11 proper players are needed to achieve excellent results. Does Norway have 11 proper players? Asides Haaland, Odegaard and, to a lesser extent, Sørloth, the Norwegian national team is full of average players. They can only do so much...

Exactly! It is a problem with Norway generally and not on Haaland because he has always delivered whenever he played for the country but as a result of not having so many good players to support and help the team progress in each tournament they are trying to qualify in, it is always going to affect their performance.

 

[Frank]

27 goals in 28 games is definitely not a stat associated with a flop at any capacity. Expecting him to single handedly drag Norway to tournaments is unfair on the young lad. Football isn't a one-man game, at least 11 proper players are needed to achieve excellent results. Does Norway have 11 proper players? Asides Haaland, Odegaard and, to a lesser extent, Sørloth, the Norwegian national team is full of average players. They can only do so much...

Ronaldo has done amazingly well for the Portuguese team. Sometimes, a single player can inspire others to take hold and keep playing well for the team. It is a matter of trying to get the team psyched up for the challenges ahead.

 

[Heatman]

Ronaldo has done amazingly well for the Portuguese team. Sometimes, a single player can inspire others to take hold and keep playing well for the team. It is a matter of trying to get the team psyched up for the challenges ahead.

Unfortunately, Norway doesn't have the same level of team players that Portugal have. This is actually the reason why it is always easier for Cristiano Ronaldo to have much impact in Portugal. If you remember the time they won euro, Ronaldo was not even the one that scored the winning goal because he was already injured and out of the match. It was Eder that scored the winning goal.

 

[McIrx]

Ronaldo has done amazingly well for the Portuguese team. Sometimes, a single player can inspire others to take hold and keep playing well for the team. It is a matter of trying to get the team psyched up for the challenges ahead.

There was never any point in Ronaldo's international career where he never had at least two world class players in the same starting 11 with him. And that's a fact. Ronaldo is the star, but he's always had help.

Can you list 5 world class players Norway has produced in the last 15 years? I can list at least 10 for Portugal right now. Comparing Norway to Portugal is off it!

 

[McIrx]

Unfortunately, Norway doesn't have the same level of team players that Portugal have. This is actually the reason why it is always easier for Cristiano Ronaldo to have much impact in Portugal. If you remember the time they won euro, Ronaldo was not even the one that scored the winning goal because he was already injured and out of the match. It was Eder that scored the winning goal.

Ronaldo didn't even complete the first half of that match before getting substituted. He played 25 minutes and was replaced with Ricardo Quaresma, another incredibly talented player. In fact, that Portuguese team had Pepe, Cedric and Nani in the first 11. These are top players at some point in their careers, not the average Joes Norway always paraded.

There are tons of world class players in history who never played any international tournament simply because their international teammates are incredibly bad. How can Norway play tournaments when players like Josh King still gets invited?

 

[Timgab]

There always this relevant expectations from coaches, fans and fellow players that if you are a popularly known player you need to score in every single game you play.

I guess Haaland is giving his all to it, this is his career and I see no reasons why he should be a lesser interest in this. Every player wants to be known all way round with their efforts.

Am not queering him if he's not performing well in matches as might be due to some issues like team coordinations not matching his expectations.

 

[Frank]

Ronaldo didn't even complete the first half of that match before getting substituted. He played 25 minutes and was replaced with Ricardo Quaresma, another incredibly talented player. In fact, that Portuguese team had Pepe, Cedric and Nani in the first 11. These are top players at some point in their careers, not the average Joes Norway always paraded.

There are tons of world class players in history who never played any international tournament simply because their international teammates are incredibly bad. How can Norway play tournaments when players like Josh King still gets invited?

So, are you saying that they lack players that can compete or leaders in the team that can make sure that the boys playing in the eleven up their games? You know sometimes the latter is the case with some of these teams.

 

[Heatman]

Ronaldo didn't even complete the first half of that match before getting substituted. He played 25 minutes and was replaced with Ricardo Quaresma, another incredibly talented player. In fact, that Portuguese team had Pepe, Cedric and Nani in the first 11. These are top players at some point in their careers, not the average Joes Norway always paraded.

There are tons of world class players in history who never played any international tournament simply because their international teammates are incredibly bad. How can Norway play tournaments when players like Josh King still gets invited?

Exactly! Portugal is the better team hundred times more than Norway. It is the reason why they have always done well in any international tournament they have played including Nations League which they have won on the very first time the tournament was introduced. Norway is like a team in the England Championship trying to jump into playing UCL.

 

[McIrx]

So, are you saying that they lack players that can compete or leaders in the team that can make sure that the boys playing in the eleven up their games? You know sometimes the latter is the case with some of these teams.

In most cases, lack of leaders will stifle a team's progress. However, in the case of Norway they lack enough players that can compete at the highest level.

Using their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign as a case study, they've played seven games. They lost three, drew one and won three. The three games they lost were against Scotland and Spain. The three they won were against Cyprus and Georgia, with the solitary draw also against Georgia who has the best player in Serie A last season, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Norway have far better players than Cyprus and Georgia, that's why they've had four good results against those two. There deficiency has seen them lost to better teams : Spain and Scotland

Now, we do have some less talented teams that made it to important tournaments in the past. If you check those ones out, it's mostly due to a case where a better team in the group underperformed and thus, opening the gap for the smaller team to take full advantage. Just as Leicester City won the English Premier League in 2015/2016 when the big boys slumbered off. That same Leicester is cooling off in the Championship these days.

Or, the team may have talented but unknown quantities who are about to have a major breakout, like the Croatia team that stunned us all and qualified ahead of England for Euro 2008.

 

[McIrx]

Norway is like a team in the England Championship trying to jump into playing UCL.

This quote of yours is a perfect summary of the whole discussion. Until Norway produces more talented players plying their trade at the top level of club football, they will always struggle to make tournaments even if Haaland scores every game. These guys are even lucky most international competitions now have more participating teams. As recently as 2012 only 16 teams participated in the Euros. If it were then, teams like Norway won't even have the luxury of playoffs.

 

[McIrx]

There always this relevant expectations from coaches, fans and fellow players that if you are a popularly known player you need to score in every single game you play.

I guess Haaland is giving his all to it, this is his career and I see no reasons why he should be a lesser interest in this. Every player wants to be known all way round with their efforts.

Am not queering him if he's not performing well in matches as might be due to some issues like team coordinations not matching his expectations.

As a matter of fact, there is nothing to query as regards Haaland and his performances for Norway. A striker that averages one goal per game for his country is doing his best. The issue has to be if other players in the team are measuring up.

Against Scotland, Haaland put Norway on the way to victory. Only for the flaky guys to concede two goals in the last three minutes of the game to hand Scotland the victory. That game changed the trajectory of their Euro qualification.

By the way, he's scored six goals in five Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. I don't think there is more the young man can do than he's already doing.