Explained the rout! Norway coach reveals why he benched the starters against France
Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
Norway fell 1-4 to France, but had already secured a playoff berth before the match. That’s why the coaching staff prioritized not the strongest lineup, but rather the recovery of key players ahead of the decisive stage of the tournament.
Details: According to Solbakken, after the match against Senegal, analysis showed that five or six players were already seriously fatigued by the 80th minute. This was especially true for the back line and some midfielders.
Solbakken pointed out that Norway had less recovery time before facing France. That’s why the coaching staff weighed not only their chances for a respectable performance in the third round, but also the squad’s readiness for the next match.
“We could have put up a good fight, but our goal is to win,” said the Norwegian boss. According to him, it was crucial to evaluate how realistic the team's chances were given the players’ physical condition.
The coach emphasized that the decision was obvious to him. The same opinion was shared by the physiotherapists, medical staff, and even some players, who admitted it would have been tough to play another match in that state.
Reminder: Earlier we wrote that France confidently defeated Norway 4:1 and finished the group stage with three wins.
