Former England manager Sam Allardyce has urged current boss Thomas Tuchel to make a ‘bold’ change to his lineup for the World Cup quarter-final against Norway, suggesting Marc Guehi should be dropped in favor of Dan Burn to contain Erling Haaland.
England's path to the quarter-finals
England secured their place in the last eight after a gritty victory over co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City, overcoming a hostile atmosphere, difficult conditions, and a red card for Jarell Quansah. Their reward is a clash against Norway, who shocked five-time winners Brazil in New Jersey to reach this stage for the first time since 1998.
Haaland's threat
Norway’s run has been powered by Erling Haaland, who has scored seven goals in four games, including two in the win over Brazil. Keeping the Manchester City striker quiet will be crucial for England, but Allardyce believes Guehi, despite being Haaland’s club teammate, is not the best option to mark him.
‘Personally, from a coaching point of view, purely from a coaching point of view, I wouldn’t let Guehi mark Haaland at any stage if he can help it,’ Allardyce told Metro. ‘If it’s going to be a Konsa alongside him, then it has to be Konsa’s job. Even if that means they switch over as time goes by. If you’re leaving Guehi on his own with Haaland, irrespective of how good he is, if it’s a ball or a cross at the box, he’s not going to be able to deal with the heading power and the size of Haaland.’
Dan Burn as an alternative
Allardyce pointed to Dan Burn’s impressive aerial performance off the bench against Mexico as evidence that the Newcastle defender could be better suited to the task. ‘Whether Thomas Tuchel wants to be brave and bold and put a bigger centre-half in there like Dan Burn will be something he’ll have to decide,’ he added. ‘Do you really want to disturb the team again? It’s a big decision. I’m hearing all the stats about how few goals Haaland has scored against Newcastle when he’s played against them. But that was Premier League football; this is World Cup football. So he’s got a lot of things to think about, but I think that’s a change I would certainly think about making.’
Suspension risks
England also face the risk of suspensions, with Guehi, Jude Bellingham, Nico O’Reilly, and Declan Rice all one booking away from missing a potential semi-final. However, Allardyce believes Tuchel should focus solely on the Norway match. ‘I think there’s more of a problem about getting through than anything else. If you pick up a card and you’re going to lose the next round, then that is what happens but my total focus would be on just the game. But the player needs to be aware of it. Rather than tackling, just shut him down and hold him up. Shut him down and hold him up. Force him backwards or sideways. If you’re in that position, you’re only tackling if you put yourself in a desperate position. Don’t put yourself in a desperate position and make sure you don’t have to make those sorts of challenges that might get you a yellow card.’
Allardyce's confidence
Despite England’s poor historical record against Norway—winning only one of four competitive matches, a 4-0 victory in a 1980 World Cup qualifier—Allardyce is confident England will prevail. ‘On the back of the Mexico game, I’m confident. I think that the players have to reach even a higher standard and we’ve got the opportunity that it’s in our hands, and we’ve got to go out and perform and make sure that we get the victory.’
