National team manager Hege Riise has had a lot of trouble so far in the World Cup.

The botched open, non-sports noise, and star drop have stolen the headlines, but it doesn’t stop there. NRK can now tell that several players reacted strongly to Riise’s leadership style in the first week of WC.

This was reported by several independent sources close to the Norwegian World Cup squad.

Among other things, the players reacted to:

• Lack of match management
• Unclear message
• It’s too quiet in the locker room
• Get real action and feedback when plan A doesn’t work

NRK were told by several sources that the coaching staff were remarkably silent during the half-time talks during their disastrous opener against New Zealand.

Players inevitably react to a lack of feedback, little commitment and little tactical action from management.

– How many bribes to give?

Goalkeeper Aurora Mikalsen confirmed that things were running smoothly during the opening half.

– Actually there were no high level shots then.

– There was more frustration afterwards, he added, but stressed he wasn’t present at the start of the break.

Captain Maren Mjelde admitted that the players had to seek input and suggestions from the coach during their World Cup opener, which ended in defeat to Norway.

– I noticed that we ask and try to find out. “I think we, the players and the coaches, know we are not good enough and we want to defend a bit,” said the Chelsea man.

He added that they had talked about and practiced it over the past week, and he felt that everyone now had better control over what had to be done.

On top of that, Mjelde insists he doesn’t need soaring temperatures in the dressing room:

– We are a sane group. How many slaps should one give each other? I don’t think you get any better than that.

WC debutant Mathilde Harviken stood up for Riise and the team. He has nothing to complain about the way the management of the Norwegian national team handled the game.

– During the break talk in the locker room, I find it constructive. “I am satisfied with the input we received, and then it is about us, the players, who are more serious and perform better,” said the 21-year-old player.

– Should have done more corrections

NRK asked several players if they were satisfied with national team manager Riise’s match management after the match against Switzerland earlier this week.

Neither of them answered “yes” on that question.

– Because of that. It wasn’t him that kept us from scoring today, said Guro Reiten after a few seconds of reflection.

– It’s no use bringing it up now. Now we are focused on what will happen, says Sophie Román Haug.

Barcelona player Ingrid Syrstad Engen believes «everyone has something to do».

– We’ve talked about what everyone needs to do better, really. “Dan agreed that things have to be fixed during the game by all parties, and I think everyone has learned from that,” said Syrstad Engen.

His verdict on what happened in the locker room against New Zealand is as follows:

– I think we all think we should have made more corrections, both as players and working with the coaching staff.

Riise himself was silent after NRK’s ​​question about the criticism.

– What happens in the locker room is internal. There must be a ceiling height. We have many coaches who have sent messages, and haven’t heard anything yet, so we can’t answer anymore, that’s the response of the national team manager.

Unwanted from the start

Riise was appointed as national team coach in early August last year. His predecessor, Martin Sjögren, had to resign after the EC’s humiliation in England, and NRK learned that some profiles were clear that they did not want a new coach recruited from within the Football Association of Norway (NFF).

This can be seen from the EC assessment of the players which, according to NRK’s ​​information, was submitted to the association at the end of July last year.

The request was not considered by the NFF, and only a week later it was considered then the J19 Riise trainer was hired.

– All questions that go back to the past or to the future, I have to answer again after WC, president of football Lise Klaveness answered NRK’s ​​question about players wanting outside coaches.

Klaveness meant that she was stationed in New Zealand at the head of the delegation “whose job is to support the team before the decisive internationals where we have every chance of advancing in the world’s biggest competition for women.”

– Quiet and introverted

Riise’s controversial leadership style was also the topic of British TV channel ITV’s World Cup broadcast this week.

– He has a very interesting leadership style. He is quite reserved and secretive. The assistant coaches stand out more, Arsenal’s Kim Little said on TV.

He and Chelsea’s Fran Kirby both played under Hege Riise when he led Great Britain at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.

Little indicated that he had not experienced a similar style of leadership earlier in his career.

– The way he conducts is very different from what I am used to, he said.

– We didn’t know what to expect. But like Kim said, she is a quiet person. He let his assistant handle most of the meetings and most of the tactical stuff, explained Kirby.