Erling Haaland: The Goalscoring Machine England Somehow Need to Stop

It’s seven goals in four matches for Norway’s No. 9—including two against Brazil.

Erling Haaland sent Norway through to the World Cup quarterfinals. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Norway stands between England and a place in the World Cup semifinals for only the third time in the last 36 years. With the Scandinavian team identified by many before the tournament as a potential dark horse contender to lift the trophy, this quarterfinal tie couldn’t be much tougher.

Underpinning the success of the team in its first World Cup appearance this century has been the goals of Erling Haaland, not born when Norway last competed on the global stage in 1998.

The Manchester City striker has found the net seven times in four games, getting doubles in both group stage matches he played—Haaland was rested against France. He then scored the late winner against Côte d’Ivoire in the round of 32, and both Norway goals against Brazil in the round of 16. As a team, Norway has scored 12, meaning Haaland accounts for more than half the output.

Stop him, stop Norway? It’s not necessarily quite so simple. But if England do manage to put a lid on one of the most natural goalscorers in the world, it will go a long way to winning the match.

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Attempting to Physically Match Haaland Won’t Work

Haaland won his individual battle with Gabriel in the last round. | Jewel SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Haaland thrives in the physical, so taking the literal fight to him directly is not going to work.

Gabriel lost exactly that battle when Manchester City beat Arsenal in the Premier League in April, with Haaland managing to shrug off the Brazilian center back before scoring his team’s second goal.

Haaland again won his one-on-one matchup against Gabriel as Norway beat Brazil in the round of 16.

England doesn’t have a center back who would be able to dominate Haaland, although Harry Maguire—not selected by Thomas Tuchel this summer to the Manchester United defender’s shock and dismay—has at least enjoyed some physical success against him at club level.

Marc Guéhi and John Stones, both of whom know Haaland well from Manchester City duty, are different kind of center backs whose strengths lie in positioning and anticipation. Ezri Konsa is a more physical alternative, but in the sense of speed and athleticism rather than brute strength. The Aston Villa star could also wind up roped into filling in at right back due to the crisis there.

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Cut Off Haaland’s Supply

Targeting the supply line is more important. | Stefan Koops/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Haaland is not a goalscorer who will typically make his own opportunities. He has averaged fewer than 25 touches of the ball per game at this World Cup. Against Iraq and Senegal combined, Haaland touched it 42 times and scored four goals. His game is about finishing chances.

That means countering the Haaland effect is actually more about targeting his teammates.

If England can stifle Martin Ødegaard, who is usually the one to dictate his team’s creative play with the ball, Norway—and by extension Haaland—is suddenly a lot less dangerous. If that takes sacrificing Elliot Anderson to stick to Ødegaard, man to man, then so be it.

It’s going back some years, but Bobby Charlton and Franz Beckenbauer were both instructed to do that to each other when England faced Germany in the 1966 World Cup final. They sacrificed their own games as a result, but it meant the other had no freedom to influence the match for their team.

England’s attacking unit can play a part too, pressing, suffocating and swarming Sander Berge whenever the ball comes his way. The Fulham midfielder touched the ball more often (130) than any other player on the pitch in the round of 16 against Brazil—including Ødegaard.

Generally keeping the ball away from Norway is also important. England had just 33% possession of the ball against Mexico in the last round and passed with an accuracy of 80%. That won’t fly. Accuracy ideally needs to be over 90%, with the majority of possession, to deny Norway a foothold. In too many previous tournament eliminations, England has invited pressure by surrendering control of the match and not being able to withstand the onslaught. It just about worked out against Mexico, but it’s not a reliable strategy, especially with the world’s best No. 9 on the other team.

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