England must cut Haaland’s supply lines, says Rogers

England's World Cup hopes hinge on neutralizing the formidable threat of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, a familiar foe for many of the Three Lions' players. Haaland, who has scored seven goals in the tournament so far, poses a significant challenge due to his combination of power, pace, and clinical finishing.

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Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland? Not sure they have, but we’re gonna try.

England midfielder Morgan Rogers admitted the difficulty of stopping Haaland, stating, "Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland? Not sure they have, but we’re gonna try." However, he revealed that England's strategy will focus on disrupting the supply line to the striker. "We’re gonna have to maybe try and … stop how the balls go into him and how he gets his chances, because he’s so deadly in front of the goal,” Rogers told reporters.

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He’s such an unbelievable player, the things he does, the numbers he puts up, you just know how good he is ​that we’re gonna have to maybe try and … stop how the balls go into him and how he gets his chances, because he’s so deadly in front of the goal.

Rogers, whose Aston Villa side has managed to keep Haaland goalless in recent matches, downplayed his personal success against the striker, attributing it to luck. He also highlighted the threat posed by other Norwegian players in the English league, such as Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard.

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That was the message today with our first training session back, is that we go for it again, we go and get more, and we can still improve and get better.

The England squad is also dealing with exhaustion after a demanding 10-man, 3-2 victory over Mexico in the previous round. Despite the fatigue, Rogers expressed the team's determination to improve. "That was the message today with our first training session back, is that we go for it again, we go and get more, and we can still improve and get better," he said. The team received a boost with the return of experienced midfielder Jordan Henderson, who underwent surgery for an arm injury sustained during post-game celebrations. Rogers described Henderson as the "heartbeat of the group."

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For ​a lot of us, this will ​be the biggest game we’ve ⁠been involved in, especially at a World Cup in the circumstances.