Haaland lasted until the 67th minute at Estádio do Dragão before Jørgen Strand Larsen took his place. Solbakken said the exchange that led to the substitution had happened a day earlier.
“He was tired against Wales. That’s why we had a heart-to-heart conversation [on Saturday],” Solbakken told reporters after the game.
The Norway coach had expected his striker to stay out there longer.
“He might have played the last 45 minutes against Portugal. That was a discussion. But he has very bad vibes and feelings about it,” he said.
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“I am very pleased that he managed to pull out 60 good minutes.”
Portugal won 2-1 at Estádio do Dragão. Kristoffer Ajer put Norway in front on 36 minutes, João Cancelo levelled two minutes later, and Gonçalo Ramos settled it on 79 minutes, leaving Portugal top of Group A4 with four wins from four.
‘He was simply thoroughly spent’
Solbakken did not sugarcoat his verdict on the man who leads his attack.
“He was simply thoroughly spent,” he said.
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He blamed the unbroken calendar Haaland has been locked into since Norway’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals ended against England in July.
“Some of my players have only had six or seven days of holiday. And you do not live off your physical condition in a normal job. Then it is straight into the start of the season, followed by a mini-tournament, so it is an extreme strain.”
“He’s in the group that carries the heaviest workload, precisely because his team (Manchester City) plays in every tournament and he’s the main man.”
Haaland started every one of Manchester City’s seven matches across competitions to open the season and scored five goals, according to beIN Sports, before going straight into the international break and playing the full 90 minutes in each of Norway’s first three Nations League fixtures.
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NISO: ‘This is serious’
Norwegian footballers’ union NISO used Sunday’s substitution to go public with a demand it has been building for months. Chief Kristoffer Vatshaug said in a statement that the system itself needs to change.
“Over time, we have seen a worrying trend where the burden on top players has become far too high,” Vatshaug said.
“It has already had consequences for several players. This is serious.”
“We want clearer guidelines for workload and recovery. It is about the time between matches, consecutive rest periods, travel strain and how much time players get to recover after a long season.”
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“We cannot have a system where protecting players depends on them saying stop themselves.”
Six days to Anfield
Solbakken said the pattern is simply the reality for players at the top of the sport.
“It’s tough. But we can’t do anything about it.”
Manchester City return to Premier League action at Liverpool on Sunday, 11 October, kick-off 4:30pm local time. Haaland has six days to recover.
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