5 hours ago
14
England fans are going to have to be really patient on Saturday night because this World Cup quarter-final against Norway will feel like a grind and I would not be surprised if the match goes the full distance and we see 120 close-fought minutes. Let me be clear: this will not be an easy game and do not expect it to be played at a fast pace.
With a weapon like Erling Haaland, Norway are a dangerous team to face. The crucial thing England have to do, tactically, is try to starve Haaland of service, because if that ball arrives in his proximity and he is given half a chance, you know it is going into the back of the net. He doesn’t need many chances because he’s so clinical. England have to work so hard to deny him service.
That service comes from a variety of different ways. Norway are an incredibly patient buildup team, which was evidenced during their last-16 victory over Brazil, where the Norwegians were happy to keep numbers low, keep control of the game and use their wingers in the right moments, particularly on the left-hand side. You can see the benefits of them having the same coach, Ståle Solbakken, for six-and-a-half years. Longevity helps.
With a player like Haaland, you have to be aware that whenever he is moving inside the box, he puts the defender in an impossible position where he cannot see both the ball and the player. That’s deliberate from Haaland and the sign of a great striker.
That’s where he catches defenders out, because he’s so explosive over that first yard. It’s not just that he’s good in the air or he’s powerful, it’s the fact that he gets out of the defender’s eye line and then darts across.
So, while as a coach you could tell players to work to block that run, it’s impossible; he’s a physical beast. I am curious to see if England play Dan Burn against Haaland, as that would be the most obvious one-v-one match-up.
If there are early crosses into the penalty box, he also has the ability to peel off around the back of the defender and score goals on the floor at the back post, so he’s got a variety of finishing techniques in his skill set. He particularly thrives on one-touch finishes or firing a ferocious shot through crowds of players.
I’m also observing that Haaland looks as relaxed as I have ever seen him, playing with joy, embracing the tournament and living in the moment – that’s a dangerous thing for England.
Norway are a united group who know their strengths. So you have to focus on stopping the service and make it really, really difficult for the rest of his team to provide him with chances.
That comes in many forms. For example, minimising the number of corners England concede is one of them. Then sometimes it is about preventing those little slip passes into the inside that get him involved in and around the top of the box, so the midfielders and the full-backs have got to keep pressure on the ball and apply pressure to prevent crosses. That has to be a big principle for the team. More broadly speaking, the good news is there is great pace in England’s back four, who are also all very athletic and physical.
Antonio Nusa, on Norway’s left, has been in very productive form and while on the right-hand side I would say that Alexander Sørloth – who started in their win against Brazil – is more of a centre-forward, Oscar Bobb’s cameo role has been unbelievable. He’s an excellent footballer so when he comes on, England have to be ready. Which is also why it is worth pointing out that Norway are not all about Haaland, they are not a one-man team.
Martin Ødegaard has shown his quality throughout the tournament too, linking the play from higher midfield areas to the front. The Arsenal player is intelligent and he works the pockets really well.
after newsletter promotion
Norway deserve credit for the way they build from the back and they have a fluid, progressive midfield, which allows them to play with what I call a floater, someone who can join the play in an unstructured way and that creates overloads, which will be difficult for England to deal with. Their wingers have the dribbling ability to cause problems and you have to be mindful of their box-crashers arriving from midfield.
That all means that England’s full-backs have got to do their jobs and stop the crosses with the midfielders helping out to shut off the spaces in order to remove the inside balls and prevent creative play in those pockets. Norway play with two high No 8s so Thomas Tuchel – whom I have been so impressed with across the World Cup – will be telling his team to make it difficult for them to get on the ball.
That, though, means England have got great transition space either side of their single pivot in midfield, which could suit Jude Bellingham, who has been playing out of his skin, so I can envisage England creating a lot of chances. Bellingham and Harry Kane have been outstanding and I’d like to see Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka – who had their best games of the tournament so far – build on their good performances against Mexico. During transitions especially, England can pose big threats, with Bellingham darting into the box.
But for everybody watching at home, this game will feel totally different to that classic win against Mexico. Do not forget that this game will be played in sweltering heat in Miami, which is going to be a massive factor. At times we might see both teams plod in possession. There’s no other way to cope with those conditions, which will dictate the tempo. This is Miami: it’ll be unforgiving. Norway will have a fair share of the ball and, when they do, I’d expect them to slow the tempo down.
We saw during England’s 3-2 win in the Azteca Stadium that they can cope with setbacks. They showed huge character to respond to going down to 10 men by scoring a third goal and the players really showed up. If you purely look at the 11 v 11 on Saturday, England are more talented individually but every game is a really tough game at a World Cup.
That said, England look best prepared to go the distance with their mix of experience from previous tournaments and having dealt with adversity. I really think this is as big an opportunity they will get, especially after the confidence-booster of that win in Mexico. The biggest challenge now is that they’ve got to come down from that adrenaline rush and find something within themselves again in the Miami heat.
