Manchester City ace slammed by furious national coach who claims he’s ‘lacking everything’ in brutal takedown after ‘very poor’ showing

Norwegian national team manager Stale Solbakken did not hold back in his assessment of Oscar Bobb following Norway’s 1-1 draw with New Zealand, sharply criticizing the Manchester City midfielder’s performance. Solbakken described Bobb’s showing as his “weakest yet” for the national side, expressing frustration with his decision-making and work rate.

Bobb, who had recently impressed on the right wing during a 5-0 win over Israel, was deployed centrally against New Zealand—a tactical move Solbakken later regretted. The coach told reporters, “He was very poor in the first half. He is lacking everything. He takes too long with the ball, positions himself strangely and doesn’t press well. He’s done that in training and been very good at it. But if you ask Oscar, I think he’ll say that the first half was his weakest performance for the national team. The second half was the next weakest.”

This public rebuke marked the first time Solbakken openly criticized Bobb since the player’s emergence in the senior squad. Despite the harsh words, Solbakken later attempted to downplay the significance of the poor display, emphasizing Bobb’s overall reliability for Norway. “I’m not wasting any energy on that,” the coach continued. “He has performed very, very well in almost every game, both further up the pitch and further out. It’s not a concern.”

Bobb himself did not challenge his manager’s verdict, admitting after the match that Solbakken’s assessment was accurate. “It’s a fair assessment,” Bobb said, acknowledging that his performance fell below expectations.

Since breaking into the national team, Bobb has played a key role in Norway’s World Cup qualifying campaign, forming a vital creative partnership with Erling Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard. Norway have enjoyed an impressive run, winning all six of their qualifiers, and recently dominated Israel 5-0. However, the draw with New Zealand highlighted vulnerabilities in midfield, particularly evident in Bobb’s subdued display, and underlined the impact of Odegaard’s absence due to injury.

The critical comments came at the end of a week characterized by good spirits in the Norwegian camp, especially after Erling Haaland’s eye-catching moments in training drew attention across Europe. Nevertheless, Solbakken affirmed Bobb’s importance to his plans, keeping him on the pitch for the full 90 minutes against New Zealand and indicating that he will continue to feature in upcoming fixtures.

Looking ahead, Norway are on the verge of making history, as a draw against Italy on November 16 would secure their first World Cup appearance since 1998. The focus now turns to maintaining momentum and ensuring key players are ready for the decisive matches in 2025.