Thomas Tuchel has downplayed Erling Haaland's claims that England are the favourites to reach the World Cup semi-finals, insisting that Norway's form makes them a formidable opponent. The England head coach acknowledged the threat posed by Haaland, who has scored seven goals in four appearances at the tournament, including two in Norway's historic 2-1 win over Brazil in the last 16.
Tuchel's history with Haaland
Tuchel has personal experience of Haaland's devastating ability. In 2019-20, when Tuchel was at Paris Saint-Germain, Haaland scored both goals for Borussia Dortmund in a 2-1 Champions League last-16 first-leg win, though PSG turned it around to progress 3-2 on aggregate. More recently, in 2022-23, Haaland scored in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final for Manchester City against Tuchel's Bayern Munich, with City winning 4-1 on aggregate.
Tuchel recalled a previous incident involving Haaland when he joked about bringing him to Chelsea during an interview with Sport Bild. The comments angered Borussia Dortmund, and Tuchel had to apologise. "I always need to apologise," Tuchel said. "They don't get my humour."
Haaland's tournament impact
Haaland has been in outstanding form, scoring seven goals and helping Norway reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. He has also enjoyed off-field moments, such as a shopping trip in Dallas where he bought a cowboy hat and boots and posed in a T-shirt reading "Y'all can kiss my Dallas." Haaland has embraced the underdog role, stating: "There are some clear favourites out there and England are one of them. So I think all of you [in the media] should put every single pressure on the English lads."
Tuchel, however, rejected the favourites tag. "Norway overperform," he said. "But internally they know very well how good they are. They proved it. They eliminated a big, big, big nation [in Brazil] on a big stage. And from there on, there is no such thing any more as favourites."
England's identity and heat challenge
England have struggled to find their identity in the tournament, with Tuchel admitting they have been "a bit stuck in thinking." He emphasized the need to play better and be more connected. "We need to spend more time in the opponent's half. We struggle too much to overcome a high press of the opponent. We need to be better in the deep buildup, in the high press. More connected."
The match in Miami is expected to be played in temperatures pushing 34°C, posing a challenge for England. Tuchel is confident that their pre-tournament camp in Florida and heat training will help. "When we stepped out of the plane in Miami, we expected it to feel painful," Tuchel said. "Maybe we are still lucky and we get another dark cloud over the stadium and full rain. But the science says that we banked a lot of heat training. We haven't lost that."
Stopping Haaland
Tuchel acknowledged the difficulty of containing Haaland. "You can't avoid focusing [on him], for sure not," he said. "There is so much quality in his moments and you have to make decisions. He will always arrive on the second post so the question is when to make contact with him. Some defenders like to stay zonal and get the earlier jump. Some like to step back and start fighting with him on the ground, physically – but then he pushes you aside and gets a free header. If you stay zonal he jumps over you. He has all the weapons."
