Norway manager Stale Solbakken has insisted that the upcoming World Cup quarter-final clash against England in Miami will be far more than a simple showdown between star strikers Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
The highly anticipated encounter at the Hard Rock Stadium pits Manchester City’s Haaland against Bayern Munich’s Kane, both of whom are leading contenders for the Golden Boot. However, one of these prolific forwards will see their World Cup journey end when the final whistle blows.
Haaland recently showcased his clinical prowess with a double against Brazil in East Rutherford, while Kane scored a match-winning penalty for Thomas Tuchel’s England side against co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, having previously netted a crucial brace in their 2-1 comeback victory over DR Congo.
Despite the individual brilliance, Solbakken is adamant that collective effort will be paramount if Norway are to progress to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time and extinguish England’s hopes of emulating their 1966 triumph.
“I think it’s Norway versus England, but I don’t think it is a secret that Kane is the match-winner number one for England and Haaland is match-winner number one for us,” Solbakken stated during a press conference.
Offering a candid insight into his star striker, Solbakken remarked on Haaland’s goal-scoring appetite: “To be honest, that hunger is not that big when training. When he trains, when he participates, he is hungry for goals, but on a couple of those training sessions, he hasn’t been all that hungry. I have to be honest.”
Just as he believes England should not solely focus on containing Haaland, Solbakken is acutely aware of the numerous threats within Tuchel’s squad.
“They are a team that plays up to their strength, like we are ourselves, in the whole tournament,” he explained. “Obviously, when you meet a team like England, who has great players on the wings, (Jude) Bellingham, Kane, they can score from many positions. (They have) a great duo in the middle of the park, we need to compete there and we need to defend properly.”
He emphasised Norway’s own approach: “But the most important thing for me is that we are ourselves with the ball, and that we are there to play the game and not the whole environment, that we concentrate on the pitch and that we can be ourselves and play our playing style.”
Norway has been contending with an illness bug within the camp, though defender Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, who missed the Brazil game, has since returned to training. Wolves left-back David Moller Wolfe is currently being monitored after being forced off with an unspecified issue in the closing stages of their match at the MetLife Stadium.
Solbakken expressed confidence in the squad’s “great balance” as they aim to extend their World Cup dream.
“I think every game in this World Cup has been the most important and the greatest for Norwegian football, especially after we went into the knockout round, so this is the third most important game,” he said. “I feel that the players are in a relaxed, but competitive mood, so I think it is a great balance they have.
“They are looking forward to the games, but of course they should also feel the pressure because I don’t think that you could be at your very best if you don’t feel a little bit pressure. But I think they have a very good mix of looking forward to it and and feeling the pressure a little bit.”
