Thomas Tuchel has revealed he once apologised for publicly expressing his desire to sign Erling Haaland, as he outlined how England plan to stop the prolific striker in their World Cup clash against Norway.
Tuchel's Self-Deprecating Dig at Bild
Speaking ahead of the match, Tuchel cracked a joke at the expense of German newspaper Bild, who had named him Coach of the Year after his Champions League win with Chelsea in 2021. Tuchel recalled that after that victory, he had admitted trying to sign Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, which led to him issuing an apology.
“I always need to apologise,” Tuchel said with a smile. “They don't get my humour! Anyway, were you surprised that Bild gave me an award? Yeah... there was no way out. Because if Jurgen Klopp won at the same time the Charity Shield they give it to him.”
Haaland's Lethal Form
Haaland, who joined Manchester City a year after Tuchel's comments, has already scored seven goals in this World Cup, making him the tournament's top scorer. Tuchel acknowledged the threat but insisted England's defence must focus on nullifying the Norwegian talisman.
“You can't avoid focusing, for sure not,” Tuchel said. “There is so much quality in these moments and you have to make decisions, how to defend it. He will always arrive on the second post. The whole world knows it. He loves to arrive on the second post so the question is when to make contact with him.”
Defensive Strategies Against Haaland
Tuchel elaborated on the tactical challenges posed by Haaland, noting that defenders face a dilemma when marking him. “It's also a type of defender type of thing. Some defenders like to stay zonal and get the earlier jump, some defenders like to step back and start fighting with him on the ground physically, but then he pushes you maybe aside and gets a free header. If you stay zonal he jumps over you. So he has all the weapons once you arrive in the box.”
He added that Norway's other attacking threats, such as Alexander Sorloth, also require attention. “Norway are not shy to play long balls in to Sorloth and he starts bullying people, that's what he does. So it's a team effort but of course the full focus of our central defenders will be on him (Haaland).”
