Erling Haaland has turned into a nightmare for defenders at this World Cup and England has to find a way to stop him in the quarter final game on Saturday, July 11, or their tournament ends in Miami.
The Norway striker has scored seven goals from just 18 shots in four games this tournament. He’s level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot and he did it while being rested for one match.
England’s football team manager Thomas Tuchel now has a decision to make and the numbers suggest he already has an answer sitting on his bench.
Newcastle center-back Dan Burn has faced Haaland more than any other England defender, six times in the Premier League. In those matches, Haaland has scored against him just once.
Burn came off the bench in England’s 3-2 win over Mexico and was praised for his physical presence. At 6-foot-7, he has the size to match 6 foot 5 inches tall Haaland’s power.
In an interview with talksSPORT, Burn appeared ready to face the Norwegian striker. He said, “You know with Erling he only needs one touch in the box to score, so everyone’s going to have to be on it.”
Talking about the win over Mexico, Burn said. “We’ve sort of sat and took the praise and everything for it, but it means nothing really if we don’t beat Norway.”
Tuchel has other choices too, including Marc Guehi who faced Haaland four times and lost three of them, conceding seven goals total. Ezri Konsa looks better on paper. Playing for Aston Villa, he’s held Haaland to just one goal in five Premier League meetings.
Trevoh Chalobah has also faced Haaland before, conceding twice in five games, but he hasn’t played a single minute at this World Cup, so he’s unlikely to start now.
Another option is John Stones, who spent years as Haaland’s teammate at Manchester City. He knows Haaland’s game from the inside. So does left-back Nico O’Reilly, another former City man.
2026-07-09 21:14:00
