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Norway stands between England and a place in the World Cup semifinals for just the third time in the past 36 years. With the Scandinavian side widely tipped before the tournament as a potential dark horse to claim the trophy, this quarterfinal clash couldn't be much more challenging.
Central to the team's success in its first World Cup appearance this century has been the goals of Erling Haaland, who wasn't even born when Norway last featured on the global stage back in 1998.
The Manchester City forward has found the net seven times across four matches so far, netting braces in both group stage games he featured in—Haaland was given a rest against France. He then struck the late winner against Côte d'Ivoire in the round of 32, and netted both of Norway's goals against Brazil in the round of 16. As a collective, Norway has scored 12, meaning Haaland is responsible for more than half of that total.
Stop him, stop Norway? It's not quite that straightforward. But if England can manage to neutralize one of the most instinctive goalscorers on the planet, it will go a long way toward securing victory.
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Attempting to Physically Match Haaland Won't Work
Haaland excels in physical duels, so trying to beat him at his own game directly is simply not going to be effective.
Gabriel lost precisely that battle when Manchester City defeated Arsenal in the Premier League back in April, with Haaland managing to brush off the Brazilian center back before slotting home his side's second goal.
Haaland once again came out on top in his individual duel with Gabriel as Norway eliminated Brazil in the round of 16.
England doesn't possess a center back capable of dominating Haaland, though Harry Maguire—left out by Thomas Tuchel this summer to the Manchester United defender's considerable surprise and frustration—has at least had some physical success against him at club level.
Marc Guéhi and John Stones, both well acquainted with Haaland through their time at Manchester City, are a different breed of center back whose qualities are rooted in positioning and reading the game. Ezri Konsa offers a more physical option, though in terms of pace and athleticism rather than raw power. The Aston Villa defender could also find himself pressed into covering at right back given the injury concerns in that area.
Cut Off Haaland's Supply
Haaland is not the type of striker who regularly manufactures his own chances. He has averaged fewer than 25 touches per game so far at this World Cup. Against Iraq and Senegal combined, he touched the ball just 42 times and scored four goals. His game is built entirely around converting opportunities.
That means neutralizing the Haaland threat is actually more about targeting those around him.
If England can shut down Martin Ødegaard, who typically orchestrates his side's creative play in possession, Norway—and by extension Haaland—becomes significantly less threatening. If that requires deploying Elliot Anderson to shadow Ødegaard on a man-to-man basis, then that's a sacrifice worth making.
It's going back some years, but Bobby Charlton and Franz Beckenbauer were both tasked with marking each other when England faced Germany in the 1966 World Cup final. Both players sacrificed their own influence as a result, but it ensured neither could dictate the game for their respective side.
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England's attacking players can also contribute by pressing, closing down and swarming Sander Berge whenever he receives possession. The Fulham midfielder touched the ball more than any other player on the pitch (130 times) during the round of 16 clash against Brazil—more even than Ødegaard.
Keeping the ball away from Norway more broadly is equally vital. England managed just 33% possession against Mexico in the previous round and completed passes at an accuracy of 80%. That simply won't be good enough. Ideally, accuracy needs to exceed 90%, with England holding the majority of possession, to prevent Norway from gaining a foothold. In too many past tournament exits, England has invited pressure by ceding control and failing to weather the storm. It just about held up against Mexico, but it's far from a dependable approach—particularly when the world's finest No. 9 is lining up on the opposite side.