Despite his pre-match optimism, Bukayo Saka was again hesitant to start England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway on Saturday.
The Arsenal star is battling an Achilles tendon problem he first encountered in March during the League Cup final. In the spring, after missing most of six weeks with the condition, Saka overcame the pain barrier and played a key role in the Gunners winning the long-awaited Premier League title. However, this appears to have come at a cost to England’s World Cup ambitions.
“My minutes have been going up throughout the tournament. I’m building up,” Saka told the assembled media ahead of England’s match with Norway in Miami. “Of course, I would really like to come to this tournament at 100%, but it was not to be, and everyone understood this and dealt with me in the best possible way. But now I feel great and ready to work.”
Saka’s injury report was as unreliable as Mikel Arteta’s usual report.
England confirm squad for match against Norway at 2026 World Cup
Madueke was excellent throughout the match against Croatia. | Marvin Ibo Genger/GES Sportfoto/Getty Images
Starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Mark Gay, Nico O’Reilly; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson; Noni Maduek, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane.
Substitutes: Dean Henderson (C), James Trafford (C), Trevo Chalobah, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson, Dan Byrne, Kobby Mainu, Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Eberechi Eze, Ivan Toney, Jed Spence, Reece James.
Tuchel again turned to Saka’s Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueka due to his lack of a first-choice right-winger. While the Gunners’ understudy offers more dynamism than his compatriot, the end product is sorely lacking. Madueke is yet to register a goal or assist this summer and has only managed one save from an opposing goalkeeper.
Thomas Tuchel fought with Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland led Norway to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. | Eric W. Rascoe/Sports Illustrated
“You can’t avoid focusing (on him), of course not,” admitted Tuchel, worried about the inevitable topic of how to stop Erling Haaland. “There’s so much quality in his moments and you have to make decisions. He’s always going to be in the second post, so it’s a question of when to connect with him.”
“Some defenders like to stay in the zone and make an earlier jump. Some like to back up and fight him on the ground physically, but then he pushes you to the side and gets a free header. If you stay in the zone, he jumps over you. He has all the weapons.”
It appears that Tuchel’s search for a solution (if there is one) is to entrust this task to the players who know him best. Haaland’s Manchester City teammates John Stones and Marc Guey line up against the Nordic goal-eater on Saturday, while his clubmate Nico O’Reilly is at left back.
This school of thought is not universal. Former Manchester United striker and BBC pundit Wayne Rooney claimed Haaland’s teammates would have a “harder time” dealing with him. “There is a reason why boxers, when preparing for a fight, spar with fighters who are not as good as them, because there is a risk of injury.
“When you come up against a striker like that in training, you remember he scores a lot of goals in training, that’s not good. So it’s actually the striker who has the advantage.”
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