The eyes of the nation and the world will be on Miami on Saturday evening when England take on Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals. In the week leading up to the game, there was a lot of talk about who would be available to replace Thomas Tuchel. Arsenal’s Declan Rice was one of the few players to miss training this week due to illness.
However, there hasn’t been much discussion about Bukayo Saka, so his absence from the starting line-up when the team’s roster dropped came as something of a surprise.
England have confirmed their starting line-up for the match against Norway
- Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Mark Gay and Nico O’Reilly,
- Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice.
- You, MaduekJude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon.
With Jarell Quansah suspended after his red card against Azteca and Reece James not yet fit enough to start, Ezri Konsa has moved to right-back. The remaining four defenders are based at Manchester City, with John Stones starting for the first time since the opening match of the tournament against Croatia. The name Nico O’Reilly is enough to send shivers down the spine of any Arsenal fan following March’s EFL Cup final at Wembley. Let’s not think about it!
In midfield, despite a nagging hamstring and some illness, Declan Rice starts again because of course he does. However, the identity of the right-winger came as a surprise. We knew it would be someone Arsenal fans would be interested in as Mikel Arteta’s two Premier League champions would be vying for the spot.
Noni Madueke has so far started against Croatia, Ghana and DR Congo, while Bukayo Saka has been included in the squad against Panama and Mexico. He set up Jude Bellingham’s goal in Mexico City, his third assist of the tournament. Saka thus becomes only the third Arsenal player to provide 3+ assists in a single World Cup, after Dennis Berkhamp in 1998 and Martin Odegaard, also this summer, whom he will face on Saturday night in South Florida.
When Madueke starts and Saka starts, or vice versa, the difference is obvious. So why did Tuchel choose first in such a crucial match? Well, it could be fitness related. Saka arrived at the tournament with an Achilles tendinitis problem, so his time will need to be carefully monitored as the Germany coach could potentially be wise after he scored 90+ points in Mexico.
Meanwhile, perhaps this could be a tactical decision. With Konsa a more defensive right-back, Tuchel may ask Madueke to hold the width of the field while battling one-on-one with Norwegian left-back David Møller Wolf. Either way, regardless of the state of the game, fitness permitting, we will likely see Saku at some stage.
An England win will set up a semi-final showdown with Argentina or Switzerland at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday. The existence of a third-place play-off means that if England do beat Norway, Arteta’s quartet of English players are guaranteed to make it to the very end of the tournament. It’s not ideal given the World Cup final comes just 33 days before the Gunners begin their Premier League title defense against Coventry City.
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