{"id":16289,"date":"2026-07-11T00:49:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T00:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=16289"},"modified":"2026-07-11T00:49:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T00:49:55","slug":"tuchel-fears-more-haaland-heroics-as-england-seek-identity-against-norway-world-cup-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=16289","title":{"rendered":"Tuchel fears more Haaland heroics as England seek identity against Norway | World Cup 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:700\" class=\"dcr-1iwzucl\">T<\/span>he way that Thomas Tuchel remembers it, he was the only choice for the award. He had led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2020-21 so when the German publication <em>Sport<\/em><em>  Bild<\/em> named its coach of the season, it had to give it to him. \u201cYeah, there was no way out,\u201d the England head coach says, with a smile. \u201cBecause if J\u00fcrgen Klopp won at the same time the Charity Shield they give it to him \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The line is delivered in trademark style: deadpan, apart from the twinkle in his eye and it is especially funny to imagine Klopp\u2019s reaction when he reads it. What happened next for Tuchel was less of a laughing matter. As a part of the deal, he gave an interview to <em>Sport <\/em><em>Bild<\/em> and during it he joked about how he would have \u201cno problem\u201d bringing Erling Haaland to Chelsea and playing him up front with Romelu Lukaku.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Haaland\u2019s club at the time, Borussia Dortmund, were unimpressed and Tuchel found himself having to say sorry to them. \u201cI always need to apologise,\u201d Tuchel says. \u201cThey don\u2019t get my humour.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Tuchel has had other Haaland-related problems. In 2019-20, when Tuchel was in charge at Paris Saint-Germain, he watched him score both Dortmund goals in a 2-1 Champions League last-16 first-leg win. PSG turned it around to edge through 3-2 on aggregate. It did not go so well for Tuchel in 2022-23 when he was at Bayern Munich and Haaland had gone to Manchester City. Haaland scored in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final tie, City progressing 4-1 on aggregate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Tuchel has close-up experience of how devastating Haaland can be and is braced again. Because there is no doubt Haaland will represent the single greatest threat to England\u2019s World Cup ambitions when he steps out to face them for Norway in Saturday\u2019s quarter-final in Miami.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"30301e43-e8ae-40b0-8eb7-e7aa18cb38e6\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.GuideAtomBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><gu-island name=\"GuideAtomWrapper\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;dd635e56-f0ba-41a0-a7f0-18904d9c7e93&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Norway and England: how they compare&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Population\u00a0&lt;\/b&gt;Norway: 5.6 million; England: 56.3 million&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Area\u00a0&lt;\/b&gt;Norway: 148,729 square miles; England: 50,371 square miles&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Lowest temperature  recorded&lt;\/b&gt; Norway: -51.4C; England: -26.1&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Average male height&lt;\/b&gt;\u00a0Norway: 5ft 11in; England: 5ft 9in&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;National dish &lt;\/b&gt;Norway: F\u00e5rik\u00e5l (mutton or lamb, cabbage, black pepper and occasionally some wheat flour); England: chicken tikka masala (invented in Glasgow)&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Fifa ranking\u00a0&lt;\/b&gt;Norway: 19; England: 4&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Squad value (via Transfermarkt.com)\u00a0&lt;\/b&gt;Norway: \u00a3502.56m; England: \u00a31.25bn&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Most expensive player\u00a0&lt;\/b&gt;Norway: Erling Haaland \u00a351.2m; England: Elliot Anderson \u00a3116m (transfer to be\u00a0finalised after World Cup)&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Best World Cup placing\u00a0&lt;\/b&gt;Norway: quarter-final (current); England: winners&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;All-time World Cup goals\u00a0&lt;\/b&gt;Norway: 19; England: 115&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;World Cup wins&lt;\/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;against Brazil&lt;\/b&gt; Norway: 2; England: 0&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Premier League players in World Cup squad&lt;\/b&gt; Norway: 6; England: 20\u00a0&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Championship players in World Cup squad&lt;\/b&gt;\u00a0Norway: 3; England: 0&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tallest player in squad&lt;\/b&gt; Norway: Kristoffer Ajer 6ft 6in; England: Dan Burn 6ft 7in&lt;\/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Natalie Tan and Calvin Burton&lt;\/b&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<div data-atom-id=\"dd635e56-f0ba-41a0-a7f0-18904d9c7e93\" data-atom-type=\"guide\" class=\"dcr-1mja7rv\">\n<details data-atom-id=\"dd635e56-f0ba-41a0-a7f0-18904d9c7e93\" data-snippet-type=\"guide\" class=\"dcr-1ynyq64\">\n<summary><span class=\"dcr-6iop07\">Quick Guide<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"dcr-11v0ntt\">Norway and England: how they compare<\/h4>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-ro5z46\"><span class=\"dcr-11ynemd\"><span class=\"dcr-1jfabdm\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"-3 -3 30 30\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"m10.8 13.2.425 9.8h1.525l.45-9.8 9.8-.45v-1.525l-9.8-.425-.45-9.8h-1.525l-.425 9.8-9.8.425v1.525z\"\/><\/svg><\/span>Show<\/span><\/span><\/summary>\n<div>\n<div class=\"dcr-10zedev\">\n<p><b>Population <\/b>Norway: 5.6 million; England: 56.3 million<\/p>\n<p><b>Area <\/b>Norway: 148,729 square miles; England: 50,371 square miles<\/p>\n<p><b>Lowest temperature  recorded<\/b> Norway: -51.4C; England: -26.1<\/p>\n<p><b>Average male height<\/b> Norway: 5ft 11in; England: 5ft 9in<\/p>\n<p><b>National dish <\/b>Norway: F\u00e5rik\u00e5l (mutton or lamb, cabbage, black pepper and occasionally some wheat flour); England: chicken tikka masala (invented in Glasgow)<\/p>\n<p><b>Fifa ranking <\/b>Norway: 19; England: 4<\/p>\n<p><b>Squad value (via Transfermarkt.com) <\/b>Norway: \u00a3502.56m; England: \u00a31.25bn<\/p>\n<p><b>Most expensive player <\/b>Norway: Erling Haaland \u00a351.2m; England: Elliot Anderson \u00a3116m (transfer to be\u00a0finalised after World Cup)<\/p>\n<p><b>Best World Cup placing <\/b>Norway: quarter-final (current); England: winners<\/p>\n<p><b>All-time World Cup goals <\/b>Norway: 19; England: 115<\/p>\n<p><b>World Cup wins<\/b> <b>against Brazil<\/b> Norway: 2; England: 0<\/p>\n<p><b>Premier League players in World Cup squad<\/b> Norway: 6; England: 20 <\/p>\n<p><b>Championship players in World Cup squad<\/b> Norway: 3; England: 0<\/p>\n<p><b>Tallest player in squad<\/b> Norway: Kristoffer Ajer 6ft 6in; England: Dan Burn 6ft 7in<\/p>\n<p><b>Natalie Tan and Calvin Burton<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"dcr-opevr6\">\n<p>Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/gu-island><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Haaland has had fun at the tournament. On the field, where he has scored seven goals in four appearances, including the two that helped Norway to the historic 2-1 win against Brazil in the last 16. They have never previously made it this far at a World Cup. And off the field, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The 25-year-old enjoyed a shopping trip in Dallas, for example, where he brought a cowboy hat and boots, together with a silly T-shirt. \u201cY\u2019all can kiss my Dallas,\u201d read the wording on it. Haaland uploaded the pictures to social media and he is the symbol of a team that approach the England game with a certain lightness; everything to gain, nothing to lose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">That is how Haaland wants to portray it and there was the moment on Thursday when he took great delight in pushing his view of the climate around the match. \u201cThere are some clear favourites out there and England are one of them,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I think all of you (in the media) should put every single pressure on the English lads.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Tuchel wants to fight the notion. \u201cNorway overperform,\u201d he says. \u201cBut internally they know very well how good they are. They proved it. They eliminated a big, big, big nation (in Brazil) on a big stage. And from there on, there is no such thing any more as favourites.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cI understand that it\u2019s a bit of a lighter situation (for Norway) and they can ride this wave. But we\u2019re not thinking in this matter and I don\u2019t feel our players are playing with fear. I don\u2019t feel the weight of the shirt. And now we go. No matter who is on the other side, no matter if we are favourites or not or if the pressure is on.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"373c8183-9b6c-4eb7-9d68-7cb452faa8cb\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Erling Haaland has scored against Thomas Tuchel-managed PSG and Bayern Munich.<\/span> Photograph: Chris Arjoon\/ZUMA Press Wire\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">England felt the heat when they arrived in Miami. It will be the first real test of their ability to cope in searing temperatures with the mercury forecast to push 34C at kick-off. England have so far played in the air-conditioned arenas of Dallas and Atlanta and the rain of Boston, New Jersey and Mexico City.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Tuchel is confident the warm-weather training he has overseen, especially the pre-tournament camp in Florida, will stand the players in good stead. It has also been very hot in Kansas City, where England have their base. \u201cWhen we stepped out of the plane in Miami, we expected it to feel painful,\u201d Tuchel says. \u201cMaybe we are still lucky and we get another dark cloud over the stadium and full rain. But the science says that we banked a lot of heat training. We haven\u2019t lost that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The heat is there on a metaphorical level. It has not needed Haaland to turn it up. There is absolutely no sense that Tuchel or any of the players will take progress for granted. And yet at the same time the supporters expect to win. The sentiment is based on world rankings and the book value of the respective squads. It is the curse under which England must labour.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><gu-island name=\"EmailSignUpWrapper\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;index&quot;:15,&quot;listId&quot;:4163,&quot;identityName&quot;:&quot;the-fiver&quot;,&quot;category&quot;:&quot;article-based&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Football Daily&quot;,&quot;frequency&quot;:&quot;Every weekday&quot;,&quot;theme&quot;:&quot;sport&quot;,&quot;illustrationSquare&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/media.guim.co.uk\/3913a70a8b2e7b8d826d813515822b0b54952cdd\/0_0_3000_3000\/500.jpg&quot;,&quot;exampleUrl&quot;:&quot;\/football\/series\/footballdaily\/latest\/email&quot;,&quot;idApiUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/idapi.theguardian.com&quot;}\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1ao0bwb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-12qa5gp\">\n<hr class=\"dcr-1cjdlyj\"\/>\n<aside aria-label=\"newsletter promotion\" class=\"dcr-11zfjs0\">\n<div class=\"dcr-pspq5\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gx5ko4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-191vl9p\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"-3 -3 30 30\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M18.364 2H5.636v5.68H3.43L2 9.29l9.048 7.504h1.904L22 9.289 20.571 7.68h-2.207zm-1.819 5.68v-.946h-9.09v.946zm0-3.787h-9.09v.947h9.09zM2 20.58v-8.994l9.048 6.627h1.904L22 11.586v8.994L20.571 22H3.43zM7.455 9.574h9.09v.947h-9.09z\"\/><\/svg>Free newsletter | <!-- -->Every weekday<\/div>\n<p class=\"dcr-vf9hps\">Sign up to <span>Football Daily<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1r7my33\">Kick off your evenings with the Guardian&#8217;s take on the world of football<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/media.guim.co.uk\/3913a70a8b2e7b8d826d813515822b0b54952cdd\/0_0_3000_3000\/500.jpg\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"dcr-xiq31o\"\/><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-15\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<p><\/gu-island><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Tuchel\u2019s message is that it is time to take the handbrake off. To find a liberation after the slog of the tournament until now. To click as the team did in the pivotal game of qualification \u2013 the 5-0 victory over Serbia in Belgrade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Tuchel has thought a good deal about identity. He wants his England to reflect some of the best characteristics of the Premier League and is honest about how they have often fallen short. On the other hand, he appears to have reached the conclusion that it is impossible to groove the kind of frameworks that are the norm in the club game. There is not enough time with the players. Does it matter if the results are there? If the big moments belong to England?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"a65d6d98-5401-4b35-a943-e4e1655d1fc9\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Thomas Tuchel has said England \u2018need to play better\u2019 and be \u2018more connected\u2019 against Norway.<\/span> Photograph: Ricardo Mazal\u00e1n\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cWe need to play better,\u201d Tuchel says. \u201cWe need to spend more time in the opponent\u2019s half. We struggle too much to overcome a high press of the opponent. We need to be better in the deep buildup, in the high press. More connected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cOur identity is not so obvious from a football point of view in this tournament. We struggle. It\u2019s not a matter of commitment. It\u2019s a matter of \u2026 we\u2019re a bit stuck in thinking. We are thinking about the pass and then it is already half a second too late. The gap is not there any more. We are a bit overprotecting, overthinking and we need to get rid of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Tuchel will take victory however it comes. One thing seems certain, Haaland must be stopped. \u201cYou can\u2019t avoid focusing (on him), for sure not,\u201d Tuchel says. \u201cThere is so much quality in his moments and you have to make decisions. He will always arrive on the second post so the question is when to make contact with him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cSome defenders like to stay zonal and get the earlier jump. Some like to step back and start fighting with him on the ground, physically \u2013 but then he pushes you aside and gets a free header. If you stay zonal he jumps over you. He has all the weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The way that Thomas Tuchel remembers it, he was the only choice for the award&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}