Norway's Golden Generation Wasted?

With arguably some of the best young talent in the world right now, it could be said Norway are in their golden generation. Yet, across the three international breaks this autumn, the Norwegians have somewhat underwhelmed. They failed to qualify for Euro 2020 after losing to Serbia after extra time in the play-off semi-finals, meaning their 20-year wait for an appearance at a major international tournament goes on. So what does this mean for the future of the Scandinavian nation?

With legends such as John Arne Riise, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Henning Berg, it may be surprising to learn that Norway have qualified for the World Cup just three times. They last appeared at the World Cup at France '98, where they were knockout in the round of 16 by Italy. In addition to this, they've appeared at just one edition of the Euros, where they were knocked out in the group stage in 2000. Since their debut at the Euros, they've seen players such as John Carew and Morten Gamst Pedersen progress through their setup, who, whilst solid and dependable players, weren't the best players of their generation in their position like Berg. However, it could be argued that the Norwegians have two players who could be the greatest in their positions right now: Martin Ødegaard and Erling Haaland.

With a supporting cast including Alexander Sørloth of RB Leipzig, Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge and Celtic's Kristoffer Ajer, Haaland and Ødegaard are in a prime position to fire Norway to international glory. Haaland has started the season on fire, with 8 goal involvements in 6 appearances in the Bundesliga and 4 goals in the first 3 matchdays of the Champions League. Ødegaard, on the other hand, has found it tough on his return to Real Madrid. He is yet to complete a full 90 minutes across 4 appearances in La Liga and has also missed 3 games due to injury. However, the attacking midfielder is putting up 1.9 key passes per 90 minutes in his limited gametime for Los Blancos, which rises to 4.3 at international level in the Nations League. Last season, he also proved key to a Real Sociedad side that qualified for European football for the first time since 2016/17, where his 2-year loan spell was cut short in the summer after putting up 16 goals and assists across all competitions. However, with limited game time, there's a risk of those numbers dropping off, so Ødegaard needs to force his way back into Zinedine Zidane's starting XI or leave back on loan to get more game time under his belt.

In defence of their failure to reach the Euros next summer, Norway still has a youthful squad, with Haaland the youngest of their star men, aged just 20-years old. From the squads called up to face Romania (before the game was called off due to a positive coronavirus test) and Austria in the latest international break, the only players aged 30 or older were goalkeepers. With Ødegaard still only 21-years old despite signing for Real Madrid back in 2015, along with centre-back Ajer and metronome Berge both aged 22, the spine of this squad can be held together for up to a decade. Only time can improve the Scandinavians as their stars mature and gain more experience on the international stage. Hopefully, we'll see more of Norway at the World Cup and Euros in the 2020s.