As England prepares to take on Norway, all eyes will be on Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, who are expected to play pivotal roles in the match. However, the real intrigue lies in the selection of wingers by both teams. Neither Thomas Tuchel nor Ståle Solbakken has fielded the same wide forwards in their games this summer.
Currently, England has deployed Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford on the left, with Arsenal’s Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka taking charge on the right flank. “All four of the wingers are competing against each other at the highest level,” Tuchel remarked following the opening match against Croatia. With each player having logged less than 57% of the available minutes during the World Cup and none starting more than three matches, the competition is intense.
Tuchel appears to be weighing his options, having tested five of the six possible combinations for the wingers. The pairing of Gordon and Rashford has not been utilized, as both players prefer the left side. The manager’s decisions during matches have been influenced by the scoreline, leading him to substitute his wide players increasingly earlier with each game.
A red card issued to Jarell Quansah during the match against Mexico disrupted the team’s dynamics, prompting Saka’s substitution shortly after the 54th minute and forcing England into a formation without traditional wingers.
A clear trend has emerged: in England’s last three matches, the starting wingers were always the same as those who finished the previous game. Tuchel’s selections may also reflect the tactical approach needed to counter specific opponents. Gordon leads the squad in average ball carry length at 14.9 meters, while Madueke is noted for the highest total distance carried per 90 minutes at 255.8 meters.
Rashford stands out as the leading England winger for carrying the ball at least five meters before taking a shot, having scored against Croatia. Additionally, only two players have created more goals from carries than Saka, one of whom is Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup.
Schjelderup’s only start was during Solbakken’s decision to make 10 changes for the final group match against France. He played a crucial role by assisting Haaland for both goals against Brazil, making him a strong candidate to start against England.
In contrast to Tuchel, Solbakken has shown a more structured approach to his winger selections. The combination of Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sørloth has featured in three of the four primary matches, while Schjelderup and Oscar Bobb have been utilized to finish those games.
All four assists from these players have originated from the left side, emphasizing the need for England’s right-back to effectively disrupt the supply chain to Haaland.
For Norway’s defense, the challenge of neutralizing threats from the wings is multifaceted, but the priority remains the same: to prevent one of the world’s top strikers from making an impact. While Kane and Haaland may headline the match, the performance of the wingers could ultimately determine the result.
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