England's backline will rightly focus their energy on stopping Erling Haaland, but they should not forget about Antonio Nusa. The direct and purposeful RB Leipzig winger, who scored a stunning curler to eliminate Ivory Coast in the round of 32 in Dallas, is seemingly coming to a Premier League club near you.
Only injuries, most notably an underlying back issue which scuppered a move to Brentford in January 2024, have so far prevented the former Club Brugge wonderkid from fulfilling his sky-high potential. Tottenham had been snooping for the 21-year-old during the same transfer window, but he displayed such maturity that he instead opted to sign for the Bees, though the £25million deal eventually collapsed due to back pain and loose knee cartilage flagged up during medical examinations. Nusa has not let the setback define him, though he still hasn't entirely shifted his back problems.
Antonio Nusa's Role in Norway's Attack
Thankfully for Norway, he does not need to carry the weight of a nation at this World Cup due to the relentless and irrepressible centre forward Haaland. The Leipzig attacker is Stale Solbakken's main wide outlet and Norway are eager to get the ball into Nusa's feet at any given opportunity. It speaks volumes that during the 2-0 scalp over Brazil in New Jersey, Nusa, who was withdrawn at half-time, ended up having the same number of touches as two-goal star Haaland (30). Norway's game is effectively centred around supplying the Manchester City phenomenon with opportunities in and around the box.
Nusa's Threat to England's Defence
Norway have top-class technical ability in captain Martin Odegaard while Alexander Sorloth, Oscar Bobb and Andreas Schjelderup are all capable of causing problems in the final third. However, only £111m-rated (€130m) Liverpool target and Leipzig team-mate Yan Diomande averaged more take-ons than Nusa's 6.5 per 90 minutes in the entire Bundesliga last term. His first thought, virtually every time he receives possession, is to either drive to the byline and cross or alternatively, cut inside and fire towards goal. He can go inside or outside and that could potentially be an issue for England as right-back has become a problem position for the Three Lions at this particular tournament.
Reece James is pushing to return in Miami following his recent hamstring strain but it's unlikely he's at optimum fitness, something that will excite both of Norway's left-wingers. Thomas Tuchel could therefore opt to select either Ezri Konsa or Djed Spence instead in the absence of Jarell Quansah. Even if James does beat his race against the clock, twisting and turning to jockey Nusa's driving runs is certainly one way to test the elasticity of James' hamstring.
Nusa's Journey and Inspiration
The former has modelled his game around Neymar and insisted before the World Cup that he did not just want to face his idol but also beat him as well. Last weekend he did just that and now attention will turn to upsetting the odds against England. Pre-tournament, Nusa released a children's book named Everything Begins with a Dream. Inside, he has documented his story, recalling his long-winding journey to the World Cup while offering guidance and specialist advice on how to deal with setbacks. In the region of just two months, he has already sold 21,000 copies. Beat England and that figure could well double within the space of just a few weeks.
