Key Takeaways:
- Norway’s head coach Stale Solbakken delivered strong criticism of Oscar Bobb’s performance in midfield last night
- Bobb, who is 22 years old, had impressed as a right winger in the recent 5:0 win over Israel
- Both coach Solbakken and Bobb himself agreed his display last night was his weakest for the national team
Solbakken’s Tactical Switch and Assessment
Stale Solbakken, head coach of the Norwegian national team, openly expressed dissatisfaction with Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb after repositioning the 22-year-old from the right wing to central midfield for Norway’s friendly against New Zealand last night. Bobb had previously started on the right flank during the standout 5:0 win over Israel, but Solbakken opted to test him in a deeper role for this fixture.
🚨🆕 𝗟’𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜̂𝗡𝗘𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗘 𝗟𝗔 𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗩𝗘̀𝗚𝗘, 𝗦𝗧𝗔̊𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗕𝗔𝗞𝗞𝗘𝗡, 𝗔̀ 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗢𝗦 𝗗’𝗢𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗥 𝗕𝗢𝗕𝗕 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗘 𝗟𝗔 𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘-𝗭𝗘́𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗘 :
“𝗜𝗟 𝗔 𝗘́𝗧𝗘́ 𝗧𝗥𝗘̀𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗨𝗩𝗔𝗜𝗦 𝗘𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘̀𝗥𝗘 𝗠𝗜-𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗦. 𝗜𝗟 𝗟𝗨𝗜… pic.twitter.com/7pFu3ROhia
— Blue Moon (@FRBlueMoon) October 15, 2025
Critical First Half and Honest Reflections
Solbakken offered a forthright assessment regarding Bobb’s contribution, stating, “He was very weak in the first half. He lacked everything. He held onto the ball for too long, positioned himself strangely, and did not press well. He does this in training and is very good. If you ask Oscar himself, I think he will say that the first half was his weakest performance for the national team. The second half is the next weakest,” said Solbakken.
Bobb himself agreed with his manager’s judgement, later saying, “It’s a fair evaluation.”
