FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template
Norwegian coach Egil Olsen professes only modest ambitions for his team at the World Cup finals. “Our aim is to qualify for the second round,” Olsen said Sunday ahead of his team’s first-round matches against Morocco, Scotland and defending champions Brazil.
“That said, if we do advance, we may be capable of going further.” Despite a superb qualifying performance, in which the Norwegians were unbeaten in all eight matches, and some excellent results in warm-up games, Olsen is keen to play down his team’s chances of progressing from Group A.
“We are going to be facing three strong teams,” he said at the team training camp outside this beach resort west of Nantes. “There is no obvious weak team in the group. Morocco are capable of playing very well and impressed me against France last week, while Brazil are certainly the favourites to win the tournament, although they do have certain weaknesses. I estimate our chances of advancing at around 50 percent. If we do that we will have done well, and if we win one or two matches after that it would be tremendous.”
Olsen is very happy with the squad at his disposal, particularly the versatility.
“I am lucky to have players with different specialities,” he said. “They are capable of playing creatively, with their heads and also with great speed. Everything we do is very much a team effort. Every player on the squad knows what is required of him by the team as a whole. Collectively we are very strong.”
While may of their rivals have loftier targets, qualifying for the second round would rank as a legitimate achievement for Norway. They have twice previously qualified for the finals-in 1934 and 1994 — but have fallen at the first hurdle both times. Their qualifying form: six wins, two draws, no losses, 21 goals scored and only two conceded, confirms their potential this time around. The vast majority of the Norwegian squad are based abroad-many of them playing in the English Premiership.
Several, including goalkeeper Frode Grodas at Tottenham and strikers Tore Andre Flo of Chelsea and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United, are not even assured of starting for their club sides. Solskjaer only made certain of his place on the squad at the last-minute, scoring twice in a 6-0 win over fellow qualifiers Saudi Arabia. It was his eighth goal in only 13 national team appearances and he has a reputation as a player who thrives on the big stage. “I know I’m a much better player than I’ve been showing in the last three or four months,” Solskjaer said. “My form is improving all the time after some injuries and I’m looking forward to the first game here.”
A similar confidence is noticeable throughout the rest of Olsen’s squad-not surprising in a team that has won nine and drawn five of its last 14 matches and has beaten three fellow qualifiers; the Saudis, Denmark and Mexico on the way to France.