Ezri Konsa speaks ahead of his big clash with Erling Haaland as England and Norway clash in the World Cup quarter-finals in Norway.
Ezri Konsa was England’s main back-up at this World Cup.
Ezri Konsa is helping himself to look after Erling Haaland. Konsa, the only defender to have started every World Cup game for England, will be tasked with keeping Norway’s prolific batting Vikings quiet as Marc Gehi is managing a hamstring tightness.
However, Haaland has fired blanks in the last four games against Aston Villa, so Konsa is not concerned.
The 28-year-old England centre-back, who won three of his Europa League-winning England games, explained to BBC Sport ahead of the quarter-final in Miami:
“We all know Haaland’s qualities and what he can do in front of goal, but I have full confidence in our defence. As long as we keep 100 percent concentration, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
Asked about Villa’s extraordinary recent performance against Staare Solbakken’s mighty Manchester City centre-forwards, Konsa said: “It’s no secret.
“I really believe in myself, my ability and what I can do as a defender. As much as I believe that as defenders we can go into the game thinking we’re not going to give him yards or go into the field thinking we’re going to stop him from scoring, as a defender, I think that’s the only way to do that in the game, not just in this game, but every game we play.”
“It’s going to be a test from now on. I think every game is a test. We all know Haaland’s qualities and what he can do in front of goal, but I have complete faith in the defense and have full confidence in him. As long as we maintain 100 percent concentration, we’ll be fine.”
Mr Konsa was asked if he would pick the brains of Jude Bellingham, Guehi, John Stones and Nico O’Reilly for additional tips before the last eight showdown at Hard Rock Stadium.
He replied: “No, not at all. I think I’ve played against Haaland many times in my career, so I know what he’s thinking and what I’m thinking. So focus completely on yourself and what you can do in the match.”
England know it would be a mistake to focus purely on one player, even though Haaland has already scored seven goals this World Cup.
Konsa believes Norway have the attacking power to hurt the Three Lions if Thomas Tuchel’s backline is not on the ball.
Ezri Konsa has performed well recently against Erling Haaland.
He continued: “I think the left winger is (Antonio) Nusa, and he looks pretty good.”
“They have (Martin) Odegaard, who I know well, as well as those tall right-wingers, (Alexander) Sorloth and Sander Berge from Fulham.
“We know they have a lot of quality as well, so we know we have to be on our A game to beat them.”
Coach Konsa wants to emphasize that Norway also has some concerns. That person is England captain Marvel Harry Kane, who has scored an incredible 73 times for club and country this season.
The versatile defender concluded: “Harry is a great human being, a great person and easy to talk to. It’s an absolute honor to share the pitch with him.”
“You hear a lot about Harry Kane and you see him play against him, but when you actually train with him and see his effort and the extra time he puts into learning his technique, it’s second to none.
“Yes, it’s not surprising to me that he has scored more than 70 goals this season (73 goals). I hope that continues, especially for us.”
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