Elyounoussi: Not worried about Haaland, he often responds to criticism with a hat-trick

Norwegian player Mohamed Elyounoussi, currently playing for Copenhagen, stated in an interview that Haaland often responds quickly with more convincing performances after facing external criticism.

In Norway's friendly against Morocco, Haaland's performance was relatively subdued, which sparked some discussion. NRK expert Carl-Erik Torp believes that Norway's overall performance improved after Larsen replaced Haaland.

"We need a striker who can run more and show more fighting spirit than he did in that game. But he didn't take risks then. I believe we will see a completely different Haaland when the real games begin," Torp told VG.

However, former international Elyounoussi, who has represented Norway 60 times and scored 10 goals, is not worried. He believes that Haaland is likely to hit peak form once the FIFA World Cup knockout stages begin. He stated directly: "I believe Haaland will deliver a very high level of performance in this FIFA World Cup."

Elyounoussi believes that Haaland's subdued performance might be related to a cautious approach due to injury concerns and not yet fully adapting to jet lag after arriving in the United States.

Discussing player form and psychological factors, Elyounoussi further emphasized the importance of mindset: "The most crucial thing is to maintain psychological balance. I think football is 70% or even 80% mental. Of course, you must have technical ability and good physical condition, but confidence often helps you overcome critical obstacles."

He also specifically mentioned Haaland's characteristics: "If anyone is best at handling this kind of situation, it must be Haaland. We have seen many times that after being underestimated or even criticized by the outside world, he immediately responds strongly with performances like hat-tricks. He is very aware of external opinions and has experienced many similar moments, so he is quite mature and confident under such pressure."