Solbakken's brave decision to rest Haaland and Odegaard at the World Cup
June 27, 2026 · Global
Norway coach Stale Solbakken made the bold decision to rest key players Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard in their World Cup match against France, resulting in a 4-1 defeat, but potentially preserving their fitness for the upcoming match.
Erling Haaland was left on the bench for Norway's game against France, but he probably won't thank his manager. Stale Solbakken's bold decision to replace ten players from his starting XI in Norway's third group game cost Haaland's Golden Boot race a few days and gave his rivals an advantage as Ousmane Dembele scored an impressive hat-trick in France's 4-1 win. However, Solbakken doesn't seem to be too worried. “I don't care at all,” he said this week when asked about Haaland's quest for individual honors and whether it might be under threat. Solbakken indicated in his press conference that he might rotate the Norwegian team. Interestingly, he took inspiration from France itself after Didier Deschamps rested his players in their final group game in Qatar four years ago, where Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele all started on the bench. "We can learn a lot from France," said the manager. "They were able to go into the third match of the group stage and rest some players... they were very smart." Perhaps, Solbakken was a little surprised when Deschamps took a different approach here, playing a strong team against Norway as they look to finish top of Group I. Solbakken revealed the double danger of Mbappe and Michael Olise ahead of the match, so it is a sign of France's strength that their goalscorer was a completely different player as Dembele was dominant. There are some obvious arguments against resting players at this stage of a tournament. The momentum from Norway's two early wins disappeared in a heavy defeat, although who can say their first XI would have done better against a side of France's quality? Whether momentum actually exists as a meaningful force in football is a point of debate, with some studies showing that performance has very little impact on the outcome of subsequent matches. Solbakken's reference point, France in 2022, is an interesting case study: Deschamps' reserve team lost 1-0 to Tunisia, but France advanced to the final and almost won the World Cup. England, incidentally, did something similar in 2018 when Gareth Southgate rested his players against Belgium. Southgate's reasoning was partly about the fitness and condition of his stars, and partly about distributing playing time to increase a sense of inclusivity and morale. Different managers will have their own approaches over the next few nights. The Independent asked Thomas Tuchel before this World Cup if he would consider rotating his England team during the group stages. He replied that he would, but he was careful not to change too much and lose the connection between the players. But clearly if there is a World Cup where resting players is the right thing to do, it is this World Cup. For the first time there were 48 countries and 104 matches, most of them played in sweltering heat, and not even Gianni Infantino's three-minute water break, born of his kindness, would change the brutal impact on players as the tournament progressed. Haaland, of course, has more reason than most to rest, having played non-stop for Manchester City this season in the most physical league in the world. Martin Odegaard, who was also rested against France, has his own heavy workload which includes the Champions League final. So Norway effectively sacrificed any hopes of reaching top of the group. France are likely to meet Norway's Scandinavian neighbors Sweden in the last 32, although that remains to be confirmed – another possibility is Belgium. That match takes place in New Jersey, and a potential round of 16 meeting with Germany in Philadelphia could follow. Norway's path now leads to Ivory Coast, a team full of attacking quality, especially on the wings Yan Diomande and Amad Diallo, in Dallas. Brazil could follow later in New Jersey. Would Norway's path be easier if they finished top of the group? This reporter watched Sweden get crushed by the Netherlands in Houston last week and instinctively answered, yes. Sweden may be slightly below Ivory Coast. However, the match with Ivory Coast will take place in an air-conditioned stadium in Dallas, so Norway may feel a little less tired if they reach the last 16 – and Ivory Coast will face a completely refreshed version of Norway after their big night's rest. And, of course, there's no guarantee Haaland and company will take top spot from last night's effort in Boston. There is no guarantee Sweden will be their opponents, given the draw has not yet been set. And there's no guarantee Sweden will be an easy opponent, given their attacking flair, and given the fierce rivalry between the two countries that will create a derby atmosphere at MetLife Stadium. Most other countries would love to play Sweden, but not Norway. Instead, Norway has taken the plunge. And really, who are we to question Solbakken? This is a man who nearly died for seven minutes when he had a heart attack while training in 2001. He knows what's important in life and in football, more than most, and apparently it wasn't the Golden Boot.