England attacking midfielder Morgan Rodgers knows the Three Lions face a difficult task in keeping Erling Haaland at bay against Norway in Miami
Morgan Rogers knows he can’t escape Erling Haaland’s brilliance
Morgan Rodgers has admitted England cannot stop Erling Haaland but they can stop his supply.
The attacking midfielder insists there is no secret recipe to neutralize the Norwegian’s versatile marksman, despite the Manchester City striker firing blanks in his last four games against Aston Villa.
Rodgers said: “Has anyone stopped Erling Haaland? I don’t know if they have, but we will have to try.
“I think he’s such an incredible player, you’re just in awe of what he does, the numbers he puts up, the brilliance and the level he’s at.
“We’ll probably have to try to stop the way they play and approach things like that, the way the ball goes into him and the way he gets chances because he’s so lethal in front of goal.
“We have to recognize that. We have to recognize that. But it’s not just him. They have other good players that they play against regularly in the Premier League and we have to be careful.”
“They’re a really good team. I think that’s their biggest super strength: they’re very strong as a team, as a unit.”
Rodgers admitted that he can’t help but dream of reaching the final after England have made it this far.
Asked if he has learned to think ahead or one game at a time, the 23-year-old continued: “I think it’s a little bit of both.
“We are human beings and we can’t help but think that winning every game is a step closer to the end goal, but at the same time, I think if you take your eye off the ball for even a little bit, it can punish you.
Erling Haaland looks to build on his World Cup goal record of seven (Image: Getty Images)
“It’s really close in this game. I think we need to dust ourselves off because the mentality you have going into the game can decide the game and make the difference.”
“We’re breaking it down into different stages of the tournament and thinking about how we attack and how we play out. I think it’s difficult because it can change your mindset and we’re all on the same page of coming together and attacking each match in the best way possible.”
“We’re all human beings and understandably excited.”
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