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NORWAY
THE COACH
And his opening salvo clearly showed he is keen to
build on his considerable international pedigree –
and quickly.
He said: “This is a challenge which really appeals
to me. I am excited to be able to work with the
Norwegian national team and bring them back into
contention for a place in the 2018 World Cup finals
in Russia.”
It appears to be a difficult task as Norway have only
garnered three points from their four qualifying
games to date, resulting in the dismissal of
previous coach Per-Mathias Högmo in November.
Before this evening’s encounters Germany had 12
points from four games, while Northern Ireland are
in second place with seven points.
“I think that Norway are capable of achieving a
runner-up spot and a play-off for the finals in
Russia,” said Lagerback, who of course achieved
the ‘miracle’ of taking Iceland to Euro 2016 in
France and secured that famous victory over
England in the Round of 16.
“I will be talking to all the squad players and
emphasising that when they play for Norway
only a 100% attitude is acceptable. When I was
offered the post I didn’t have to think twice: the job
appealed to me and I am still feeling the vibes of
our success with Iceland. I looked at the potential
in the Norwegian squad - a mixture of younger and
more experienced players - and was excited at the
prospect of taking on the challenge.
“For me the mental approach of the players is
vital. I want players who give 100% both in training
and matches - the right attitude is crucial. It’s also
important that the players are regular first team
players with their clubs. A well organised team with
a well-defined style of play is the foundation for a
winning team.”
Lars Lagerback, the new national coach
of Norway, signed a three-year contract
with the Norges Fotball Forbund
(Norwegian FA) at the start of last month.
“If we beat Northern Ireland I believe we can
reach the finals in Russia. We will probably have
to win five games to have a chance of a play-off
place. Northern Ireland is the first step,” added the
Swedish coach, who is looking to take Norway to
their first play-off for a major tournament since
2000.
When the 68-year-old took over Iceland in October
2011 he stuck to the 4-4-2 system that he had
favoured for so many years with his native Sweden,
whom he took to five consecutive Euro and World
Cup finals tournaments between 2000 and 2008.
His charges reached the Euro group stages in
2000, last eight in 2004 and the group stages in
2008. In the World Cup they went out in the Round
of 16 in 2002 in Japan and in 2006 in Germany. He
resigned after Sweden’s failure to qualify for the
World Cup finals in 2010.
Discipline and organisation were Lagerback’s main
focus after taking the reins at Iceland and there
were immediate results. Iceland almost qualified
for WC 2014 in Brazil when they only lost out in a
play-off against Croatia. There followed a first ever
qualification for the finals of a major tournament
and Iceland, rated rank outsiders, reached the
quarter-finals in France.
That strong emphasis on meticulous preparation
allied with cohesion, team spirit, and discipline
both in defence and attack, paid rich dividends last
summer - peaking with the sensational 2-1 victory
over England on 27 June in Nice.
Lagerback is likely to favour his tried and tested
4-4-2 system with Norway this evening.
Words:
Roy Kitson
www.irishfa.com33