ไทย
English
中國人
Despite expressing confidence before the match, Bukayo Saka was once again left out of England's starting lineup for their 2026 World Cup quarterfinal against Norway on Saturday.
The Arsenal forward has been dealing with an Achilles injury initially suffered in March during the Carabao Cup final. After sitting out nearly six weeks with the issue earlier in the year, Saka battled through the discomfort to play a pivotal role as Arsenal clinched a long-awaited Premier League title. However, that decision now appears to be taking its toll on England's World Cup campaign.
"Throughout the tournament, my minutes have been gradually increasing. I'm progressing," Saka told reporters ahead of England's showdown with Norway in Miami. "Obviously, I would have loved to arrive at this tournament fully fit, but that wasn't possible, and everyone has understood that, managing me in the best way they can. But right now, I'm feeling good and I'm ready to play."
Saka's injury update turned out to be about as reliable as one of Mikel Arteta's typical pre-match assessments.
England Confirmed Lineup vs. Norway—2026 World Cup
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Nico O'Reilly; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson; Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane.
Substitutes: Dean Henderson (GK), James Trafford (GK), Trevoh Chalobah, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson, Dan Burn, Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Eberechi Eze, Ivan Toney, Djed Spence, Reece James.
Once more, Tuchel has called upon Saka's Arsenal clubmate Noni Madueke to fill the void on the right wing. While the Gunners squad player brings more direct energy than his international colleague, his final product has left much to be desired. Madueke has yet to score or provide an assist this summer and has forced just a single save from an opposing goalkeeper.
Thomas Tuchel Tackles Erling Haaland With Familiarity
"You simply cannot avoid focusing [on him], that's for certain," Tuchel admitted when addressing the unavoidable question of how to contain Erling Haaland. "There is so much quality in his play and you have to make decisions. He will always arrive at the back post, so the question is when to make contact with him.
"Some defenders prefer to hold their zone and get the jump on him early. Others prefer to drop off and engage him physically on the ground—but then he shrugs you off and wins a free header. If you stay zonal, he leaps right over you. He has every weapon at his disposal."
It seems Tuchel's approach to solving that puzzle—if a solution even exists—is to assign the job to those most familiar with him. Haaland's Manchester City teammates John Stones and Marc Guéhi will line up directly against the prolific Norwegian striker on Saturday, with fellow City man Nico O'Reilly also starting at left back for good measure.
Enable functional cookies to see this feature.
Not everyone agrees with this logic, however. Former Manchester United forward and BBC pundit Wayne Rooney suggested it would actually be "harder" for Haaland's club teammates to handle him. "There's a reason why boxers, when preparing for a fight, spar with fighters who aren't at their level—because there's a risk of getting hurt.
"When you're regularly facing a striker like that in training, your mental image of him is one where he's constantly scoring goals against you—and that's not ideal. So it's actually the forward who holds the psychological advantage."