How to stop Erling Haaland

Henry Winter’s World Cup Diary, Day 26

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“Has anyone stopped Erling Haaland?!” Morgan Rogers asked after England training.

Yes, yes, Rogers’ Aston Villa have done in their last four meetings with Haaland and Manchester City. So Ezri Konsa will be representing the challenge. Like Marc Guehi, who defends against Haaland in City training. Konsa and Guehi, who may have been City man John Stones when he arrived, will need to be in top form.

If they press Haaland, England will reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. So here’s a strange combination of acceptable ways to crack the Norse code and stop a long-handled Viking with a thunderbolt on his left boot.

There is no space behind. If Martin Odegaard starts feeding balls behind the defensive line, Haaland will kill England. Guehi, a quick watcher of an incoming threat, may need to stop.

Force him to enter to his right. A look at Haaland’s Premier League numbers tells the story: 112 goals, 80 with his left foot, just 13 with his weaker right, including just three this past season. It’s easier said than done, since it’s the first time he’s done such damage. But the important thing.

Determine the supply. Don’t let the wings fall. Don’t let Odegaard sit on the ball and look up. Get Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice to protect the back-4, stopping Haaland’s balls. Rogers: “We will have to try to stop how the balls go to him and how he gets the chances because he is very lethal in front of the goals.”

Be physical. Don’t let Haaland exploit you. Konsa in particular should face Haaland.

Concentrate. Konsa, Guehi and Stones can’t switch off for a second. Rogers added: “He can open it with just a click of the fingers. We just have to be very focused, to be aware of the runs he makes and where he is in the box, especially, and how he can kill.”

Get in touch. Haaland is such a smart passer that defenders need to pass him. Rogers: “He’s an unbelievable player. You’re just amazed at how good he is and the level he’s at. When he’s on the field, anything can happen. You won’t be surprised if Erling scores two goals, and keeps doing it.”

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Speaking to a middle-aged local here in Kansas City, I asked how he felt about the USMNT’s near-disgraceful exit from the World Cup. “We cheated,” he shrugged. He felt embarrassed over the whole FIFA / Folarin Balogun fiasco and the idea of ​​disruption. His team was clearly affected by the events, just as Belgium were encouraged by them. Calling it cheating is debatable but it cannot be denied that FIFA’s goal against Balogun helped lead to the demise of one of the program’s managers.

The USMNT’s exit from the World Cup inevitably comes with a cost: US pride; in the hope of a great increase in interest in soccer; and a decrease in commercial circulation. I go into my local chemist in KC looking for shaving foam, and I come across a different foam. FIFA World Cup foam caps that retailed for $24.99 were now half price. The city’s developed values ​​are falling.

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Kylian Mbappe hit the fastest speed of the World Cup so far at 23.36mph. Few American sportsmen come close to Mbappe. DK Metcalf, a wide receiver now for the Pittsburgh Steelers, reached 22.23mph while with the Seattle Seahawks. He has been writing about football. “I’m known for kicking it like the captain of the football team,” DK said on Instagram. Maybe DK and Mbappe should have a run on the White House lawn. The winner receives the FIFA Pace award.

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Of all the concerns in the World Cup, the length of the World Cup’s last break is not one of them. Fifteen minutes are not sacred. It has been run before. If it’s 20 minutes, then? If Justin Bieber, Shakira, Madonna and BTS put on a show that converts football atheists then great. I’m not an NFL nut but I’ll watch a half hour game for the entertainment value (and to admire the way the crew assembles and packs the makeshift stage). The fear of the Americanization of the country’s game is understandable. Fluctuating ticket prices, commercial breaks seen as welfare zones and political interference have marred the World Cup. But five more minutes of Bieber belting out hits shouldn’t have Lord Kinnard in his grave. Bieber doesn’t need to apologize. Just singing it.

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Check out Henry Winter’s entire World Cup Diary here