In response to what Odegaard said: – People should take a small bowl

Ullevaal Stadium (Norway – Georgia 2-1) In his 53rd international match, Martin Odegaard (24) scored his third goal for his country. After the match, he and national team manager and teammate Stefan Strandberg attended the press.

When asked how great it would be to leave the fuss about him not scoring enough in the national team, he answered this way:

-I don’t care much about that. Maybe you’ll find something else of interest. The recording is nice, but I don’t care about the noise. It’s a nice feeling when it becomes decisive, Odegaard tells VG.

He then answers questions about the criticism Stefan Strandberg has received, before asking VG what he thinks there’s so much hype about.

– Isn’t their job to scramble and find the headlines? Odegaard says with a smile, before an NFA employee pushes him for another 48 seconds in the interview:

NRK wrote on Monday about the national team captain ‘Disappointing numbers’. In March, VG asked a number of former national team players if Norway had gotten the best out of Odegaard. 10 out of 16 answered “no”.

– We’ve talked about where Arsenal’s version of Martin Odegaard is with the flag on his chest. “That was an Arsenal performance,” TV 2’s Simen Stamso Muller said after the Georgia game.

VG relayed to Ståle Solbakken after the match that “many” believed this was one of Ødegaard’s best international matches. The national team manager will not agree to that.

– I think it is completely without history. He is playing very well today, but he has only played good international matches for a very long time. So I don’t buy it. It was one of many good things, says Solbakken.

VG then points out that he was an asset on the pitch, and that he was there on several occasions to please the fans and create an atmosphere at Ullevale:

When we ask the national team manager about the steps Odegaard has taken as a leader and what kind of national team leader he is, the following answer comes:

-VG didn’t want him as captain, so you could have a council meeting on why he shouldn’t be captain. We knew early on that he was going to be a leader. “I wanted everyone,” Solbakken says.

Perhaps referring to what VG commentator Knut Espen Svegaarden wrote in March 2021 which Sander Berge would have been a better choice for captain From Odegaard.

Svegaarden also wrote an article just over a year later entitled “I Was Wrong”.

-What did you see that VG didn’t see then?

– What you see on the field today, Solbakin answers.

Stefan Strandberg also gives a clear message to VG about his opinion of Martin Odegaard.

– It’s something you do, and you often look for those things. Alternatively, you can spend some time looking at what Ødda has done for us otherwise. I sat x number of hours with Martin. What he does for this team here, no one comes close to understanding. “People should take a little bowl, and I also think we’ll be putting the word ‘Ødda’ on the statue fairly soon,” says Strandberg.

-Does he get a lot of praise too? VG asks.

– Yes, yes, but you are always looking for negative things. Regardless if he doesn’t score that many goals, what he does for the team is absolutely invaluable. Since I’ve known him, he’s become a real gentleman. I’m very proud to play with him and call him a very good friend. It’s amazing in every possible way. He gets a lot of praise, but in my eyes this should be a highlight story every day about how good he is.

When Norway conceded the goal in extra time, Odegaard gathered the team in a circle.

-We have grown a lot in recent years. I told him when he became captain: This is your team, so I will complement you and help you as best I can. Seeing the way he stepped into the role is fun to watch. He had lived under a lot of pressure since he was a little brat. What he has become and felt on that journey is…I’m proud of Martin. “There are a lot of people who don’t understand what’s behind it,” Strandberg says.

Georgia coach Willy Sagnol, who won 58 caps for France during his career, grumbled after the match: