Thomas Tuchel knows all about the threat Erling Haaland poses. The England head coach has faced the Norwegian striker multiple times—and mostly come off second best.
Now, Tuchel must find a way to stop Haaland when England meet Norway in the World Cup quarter-final in Miami on Saturday.
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Tuchel's History with Haaland
Tuchel's first encounter with Haaland came in the 2019-20 Champions League.
Then in charge of Paris Saint-Germain, he watched Haaland score both goals for Borussia Dortmund in a 2-1 first-leg win.
PSG turned it around to advance 3-2 on aggregate.
Things went worse in 2022-23. Tuchel was at Bayern Munich, and Haaland had moved to Manchester City.
Haaland scored in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final as City won 4-1 on aggregate.
Tuchel once joked about bringing Haaland to Chelsea.
In an interview with German publication Sport Bild after winning the Champions League with Chelsea, he said he would have “no problem” pairing Haaland with Romelu Lukaku.
Borussia Dortmund were unimpressed, and Tuchel had to apologise.
“I always need to apologise,” Tuchel said. “They don’t get my humour.”
Haaland's World Cup Form
Haaland has scored seven goals in four appearances at this World Cup, including two in Norway's historic 2-1 win over Brazil in the last 16.
Norway have never before reached this stage of the tournament.
The 25-year-old has also enjoyed his time off the field.
He posted pictures on social media wearing a cowboy hat and boots, and a T-shirt reading “Y’all can kiss my Dallas.”
