Norway head coach Stale Solbakken took aim at Manchester City midfielder Oscar Bobb, suggesting his performance in Tuesday’s 1-1 friendly with New Zealand lacked everything.’
The 22-year-old, who has been one of Norway’s standout talents since breaking into the senior team, endured what Solbakken described as his weakest display yet for the national side.
‘He was very poor in the first half,’ Solbakken told Norwegian outlet VG.
‘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.’
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Bobb, a Manchester City academy graduate, had started on the right wing just days prior before during Norway’s 5-0 thrashing of Israel, impressing alongside striker Erling Haaland.
Haaland scored a hat-trick in that match, while Bobb was substituted in the 77th minute.
Against New Zealand, however, he played the full 90 minutes – and Solbakken’s frustration was clear.
The criticism marks the first time Solbakken has openly questioned Bobb since the midfielder’s breakthrough into the senior squad.
However, the Norway boss was quick to stress that the poor performance shouldn’t overshadow Bobb’s overall quality.
‘He has performed very, very well in almost every game, both further up the pitch and further out. It’s not a concern,’ Solbakken added.
Bobb himself accepted the critique, acknowledging he had fallen short of his usual standards.
‘It’s a fair assessment,’ he said.
The City academy graduate has become one of Norway’s key figures under Solbakken, regularly featuring in the side’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
He is part of a squad featuring the likes of Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Alexander Sorloth as Norway push to reach the World Cup in the USA next year.
Bobb has earned 14 caps for Norway, scoring twice since making his senior debut against Cyprus in 2023.
At club level, the midfielder has made eight appearances in all competitions for Manchester City this season, registering one assist.
His progress has been slowed by a broken leg that sidelined him for the entire 2024/25 season, along with subsequent fitness issues.
He made his Premier League debut for City in 2023, scoring his first top-flight goal in a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Newcastle United.
He also featured at the Club World Cup for the eight-time English champions, scoring in a 6-0 group-stage victory over Al Ain.
Despite the disappointing friendly, Norway remain on top of Group I in World Cup qualifying, having won all six of their matches so far.
A draw against Italy on November 16 could secure their first World Cup appearance since 1998.
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