Høgmo: – Plass for both Odegaard and Dæhli – Aftenposten

Martin Ødegaard (15) can be “can opener” in Høgmoen Norway to Malta and Bulgaria. Certainly in tandem with Mats Moller Dæhli.

ULLEVAAL (aftenposten.no): Tuesday presented the coach coaching staff squad for Euro games against Malta and Bulgaria. Not surprisingly, Strømsgodset 15 year old midfielder jewel Martin Ødegaard to find in the squad.

Høgmo has, like most other been impressed by the youngster this season and Ødegaard is in the squad to help.

– I’m not afraid to use him, nor from the start. All that is left out in this squad is appropriate to play from the start. Martin is taken on the same basis and is completely equal with the rest of the squad. He is due accomplishments he has laid down and the maturity he has shown. He has shown over several matches that he is stable at a high level. He is involved in numerous goals for Strømsgodset and was good in the league friendly against the United Arab Emirates, and followed up with a good U21 match against Portugal. He plays on more and more experience for every game, and he grows with the tasks, says Høgmo.

Space Expertise

One of Norway’s best players Cardiff youngster Mats Moller Dæhli. 19-year-old could be joined by Martin Ødegaard the Norwegian midfielder. Although the two are very similar in style of play and possesses many of the same qualities, Høgmo believes there is room for both.

– In the way we think football is it. We often have edges that pull into the space, and we can play with a drooping tip. Then there is the use of space expertise in more than one player. But we’ll see how we choose to set up the team, said Høgmo.

– Looking for you Ødegaard like a can opener?

– He has a very good knowledge, a tool, and it is to open up your opponent. He has shown in an outstanding manner. The same property also Mats.

Ødegaard played league friendly against UAE in Stavanger a month ago, so he moved down the under-21 national team for the match against Portugal in Drammen. As Aftenposten could tell it was the plan all along that Ødegaard should then be imported back into the A squad for the meeting with Italy at the Ullevaal. It continued, however, an injury an end.

– No problem

Now he is in the heat again. It is not very surprising, says VG’s longtime football journalist Knut Espen Svegården.

– It would have been very surprising if it had not happened now. Høgmo have nothing to lose by taking him out. He has been good in all the games. And he has to be treated equally with all other players. If you also have contact with his family to find out if he is mentally ready, then there is no problem at all, says Svegården Aftenposten.

– Should he start?

– When he is here and not on the U21 or U23, so

he is probably very appropriate for it. Although I have not thought much about it. But why not? The rule of NFF is the way that if he is on the A-team and not on U-national team, that’s just because he either plays from the start or is very topical to get playing time. But we’ll see if it helps to have a player who can put up others and create things offensively. We’ve got no one to end it. There is an equally big problem, says Svegården, and think of Norway’s striker problem.

Lars Tjærnås seems Høgmo did right when he took out Ødegaard. For two reasons:

– He has shown football related that he deserves it. He takes big step, almost weekly, and passed with flying colors no matter what level he’s been tested on. And I trust those stable people around him when they say he is ready. But the assumption is that they intend to use him. Otherwise it is better to continue on the U21 national team, says Tjærnås.

– Nothing unique

About Ødegaard young age downplaying coach Høgmo at:

– I realize that some are skeptical about it. But that a 15-year-old is on a high international level in their sport is not something unique if you look at other sports and other countries. And now it happens in Norway.

The squad for the match against Malta away (October 10th) and Bulgaria at home (October 13):

André Hansen – Odd

Rune Almenning Jarstein – Hertha Berlin

Ørjan Nyland – Molde

Mats Moller Dæhli – Cardiff

Omar Elabdellaoui – Olympiakos

Tarik Elyounoussi – Hoffenheim

Per Egil Flo – Molde

Vegard Forren – Molde

Steffen Hagen – Odd

Henning Hauger – Elfsborg

Markus Henriksen – AZ Alkmaar

Tom Høgli – FC Copenhagen

Stefan Johansen – Celtic

Joshua King – Blackburn

Håvard Nielsen – Eintracht Braunschweig

Håvard Nordtveit – Borussia Monchengladbach

Jone Samuelsen – Odd

As Ciljan Skjelbred – Hertha Berlin

Alexander Tettey – Norwich

Martin Linne – Molde

Martin Ødegaard – Strømsgodset

Published: 30.sep. 2,014 24:53