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England have a team that stands in the way of a World Cup semi-final berth in 2026, and that team, while talented as a group, has an eye-catching 6-foot-4 speedy giant in the running for the Golden Boot.
After beating Mexico in a thriller last weekend, the Three Lions have advanced to three consecutive World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in almost 60 years (1962-1970). Now the only thing standing in the way of a semi-final appearance is Erling Haaland and Norway on Saturday in Miami.
Former England defender Warren Barton, who is now a FOX Sports World Cup match analyst, was impressed with how his side handled Mexico at the Mexico City Stadium – also known as Estadio Azteca – against a home field advantage. But the Three Lions need to build on their round-of-eight success to keep the dream of making it home alive.
“It’s a game that I’m really looking forward to,” Barton told us recently. “I’m not overly confident, but I’m pretty confident. And it’s not coming home yet, but it might be on the plane. We don’t know.”
Barton predicts a 2-0 win for England, but he knows it won’t be easy. Here are his three keys to England beating Norway in the World Cup quarter-finals.
1.
This is a given, given that Haaland accounts for seven of Norway’s 11 World Cup goals in this tournament. But it is crucial.
“The biggest thing they have to do is keep Haaland quiet,” Barton said. “It’s an obvious statement, but he only needs half a chance. As much as what England do with the ball – and [Martin] Ødegaard has done well – I just think we match really, really well against him.”
Haaland is barely behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race, as they both have eight goals each. (Argentina, however, has yet to play its quarterfinal match against Switzerland on Saturday, while France advanced to the semifinals with a win over Morocco.)
From Barton’s defensive perspective, he said that if England players can push Haaland up the pitch a bit and count on him not running behind them, they will be in a strong position. However, they will have to ensure that there is always a body on him as well.
“You’ve got to pressure him up and not allow them to get the ball to him,” Barton said. “There will be times when they have the ball; make them go direct. Don’t sit back and invite them to have possession and come forward so he can get closer and closer to the goal. I think we have to keep him high. Have a high line and play a high line and make them play direct.”
2. 
Let Kane and Bellingham cook
Again, perhaps obvious, but still critical to success. Kane and Bellingham lead England’s World Cup goal scorers this tournament, combining for 10 of the team’s 11 goals so far. Kane has six and is not far off the Golden Boot front-runners.
And while Norway will certainly look to stifle England’s top duo, enabling their scoring chances and exploiting their chemistry will go a long way, Barton said.
“I think they’ve both come into this tournament with a point to prove they’ve been formidable,” he explained.
“Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham – probably more than any combination in this tournament – complement each other really well… I just think those two have really led the way. And when you’ve got your forwards leading, it’s so much easier for the other nine players at the back to go and follow them and do that.
“I can’t really think of any pairing – Ødegaard and Haaland, maybe – but just that they get the run to switch over, they help each other, they’re selfless, they respect each other. So I just think they’re a really excellent combination.”
The Three Lions have another advantage over Norway, in Barton’s mind, with considerable depth from so many players competing at a high level. He noted that Norway sometimes have the ability to lean on their bench, but it is not as effective as England’s.
“You control your substitutions and your minutes of players and that’s it, England [has] maybe got a bigger advantage than Norway with depth,” Barton added.
“They bring players in, there’s not much of a drop-off. Where you look at some nations, they make a lot of changes … for injuries, for suspension, for key players who don’t have the quality to come in and play at that level – where France do and I think England do too.”
3.
Beat Mexico in Mexico City is no easy feat. But after the way England rallied to victory, it is necessary to maintain the “togetherness and spirit” of that victory as they lean on built-up confidence.
“The way they dug deep into Mexico [and] all the elements – not just the height, but the fans and the sending off [of Jarell Quansah]the referee and everything that goes with it, with the game away – showed a lot of character,” Barton said.
(Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)
Knowing the players well certainly helps too, he added, especially Manchester City teammates Haaland and Marc Guéhi.
“So I think they’re going into this game very, very confident,” Barton added, “not just because [the Mexico] result, but they also match up really well against Norway.”
