After playing a key role in one of England's most famous World Cup victories, Geordie stars Dan Burn and Elliot Anderson were seen enjoying themselves at the pool in the squad's Kansas City hotel. They were joined by former Newcastle United player Anthony Gordon and Tottenham Hotspur full-back Djed Spence as the team took a well-deserved break.
Two Days Off After Azteca Triumph
England were given two days off following their impressive win at the Azteca against World Cup co-hosts Mexico City. The squad made the most of their downtime, with several players sharing photos and videos from the pool area. However, by now the team is back to training hard, focusing on their upcoming quarter-final match.
Tuchel Warns of Norway Threat
England manager Thomas Tuchel spoke ahead of the next match, stating: “Norway pose a different threat, some that we know really well, some world-class players in there, so we will have to be ready.” The team is preparing to face a strong Norwegian side that includes star players like Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard.
Burn on Haaland Challenge
Blyth-born defender Dan Burn shared his thoughts on facing Norway's formidable striker Erling Haaland. He told talkSPORT: “It does not surprise us at all how well they’ve done, to be honest. I saw how well they did in qualification. They had a tough group with Italy in it and topped that, and scored however many goals, so it doesn’t surprise us that they’re doing well, even beating Brazil. I know Brazil were favourites for that but when you’ve got players like Haaland and Odegaard, and people that can affect the game, it doesn’t surprise us that they’re at this stage.
“It is one of them where we’re going to have to be top level all over the pitch and put in probably a lot better performance than we did against Mexico to get through, but it’s something that we’re prepared for. The manager had a meeting Wednesday morning and sort of said like ‘Mexico is done now’. We’ve sort of sat and took the praise and everything for it, but it means nothing really if we don’t beat Norway. Now it’s focusing on that. It’ll be different conditions – we’ll not have the altitude, but we’ll have the heat – and you know with Erling he only needs one touch in the box to score, so everyone’s going to have to be on it.”
Poolside Fun in Kansas City
Images from the team's base in Kansas City show the players letting off steam. Anthony Gordon was pictured in the pool, while Elliot Anderson pondered a dive and Djed Spence jumped in with his socks on. Even the 6ft 7in Dan Burn was seen executing a corkscrew jump into the water. The light-hearted moments provided a glimpse of the team's camaraderie during their downtime.
As England shifts focus to the quarter-final, the squad is determined to build on their historic win and advance further in the tournament.
