The Side Players Might Steal the Show in England vs Norway!

The Big Stars Are No Surprise

Before the England and Norway football match, lots of people will talk about two famous goal-scorers: Harry Kane (England) and Erling Haaland (Norway). But here’s the thing: they are like the sun rising in the morning — we know they will play, and they will probably score goals. No mystery there!

The Real Puzzle: Who Plays on the Sides?

In football, there are players called wingers (think of them as the runners on the left and right sides of the field who try to send the ball to the strikers). Both England’s coach Thomas Tuchel and Norway’s coach Ståle Solbakken have a tricky decision: which wingers to pick.

• Neither team has finished a game this summer with the same side players they started with.
• England has used:
  • Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford on the left side.
  • Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka (both from Arsenal) on the right side.

Tuchel said after the first game against Croatia: “All four of the wingers are competing against each other at the highest level.”
Here are some simple numbers to show how close the fight is:

• None of these four played more than 57% of the total possible minutes.
• None started more than 3 out of the 5 matches.

Important Point: Tuchel has tried 5 out of 6 possible pairs of wingers. He didn’t pair Gordon and Rashford together because both like the left side. Also, he has been swapping his side players earlier and earlier in each match.

A chart (like a picture with stats) shows the different winger pairs England used in the 2026 World Cup.

One game against Mexico changed things: a player named Jarell Quansah got a red card (which means he was sent off and couldn’t play anymore) in the 54th minute. Soon after, Saka was taken out, and England played without any wingers for a while.

A pattern appeared: In England’s last three games, the wingers who started were the same two who finished the game before.

The coach might pick wingers based on what the other team is like. For example:

• Gordon runs with the ball the farthest on average (14.9 meters per run).
• Madueke runs the most total distance per 90 minutes (255.8 meters).

What Each England Winger Does Best

Let’s look at their special skills:

• Marcus Rashford: He is the best at running with the ball at least 5 meters and then shooting. He scored a goal this way against Croatia.
• Bukayo Saka: Only two players in the whole tournament made more goals after running with the ball than him. One of those two is a Norway winger named Andreas Schjelderup.
• Anthony Gordon: Already mentioned, he carries the ball long distances.
• Noni Madueke: He covers the most ground running with the ball.

Norway’s Side Players Are More Set

Norway’s coach Solbakken uses his wingers in a more fixed way than Tuchel.

• The pair of Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sørloth started three of the four “main” matches.
• Schjelderup and Oscar Bobb finished (played at the end of) each of those games.

Schjelderup only started one game: when Solbakken changed 10 players for the last group game against France. But he then helped Haaland score both goals against Brazil, so he might start against England.

Another chart shows the winger pairs Norway used.

Important Point: All four assists (passes that lead directly to a goal) from Norway’s wingers came from the left side. This means the England player on the right side of defense (right-back) must block those passes to Haaland!

Why the Side Players May Decide the Winner

For Norway’s defenders, they have to stop attacks from England’s sides too. Even though everyone will talk about Kane or Haaland, the success of the wingers might actually decide who wins.

Summary

• Kane and Haaland will play and likely score, but the real question is who plays as wingers.
• England’s Tuchel is still experimenting with four wingers (Gordon, Rashford, Madueke, Saka), trying many combinations.
• Norway’s Solbakken sticks more to a plan with Nusa, Sørloth, Schjelderup, and Bobb.
• Norway’s left-side wingers have given all assists, so England’s right-back must be careful.
• The match could be won or lost based on the wide players, not just the famous strikers.

FAQ

Q1: What is a winger in football?
A: A winger is a player who stays on the left or right edge of the field. They run with the ball and try to pass it to the main striker to score.

Q2: Why does it matter who plays on the sides?
A: Wingers create chances and can stop the other team’s attacks. In this match, both teams have strong strikers, so the side players might make the difference.

Q3: What is a red card?
A: A red card is a punishment; the player must leave the game immediately and cannot be replaced, leaving their team with fewer players.

Q4: Who is Andreas Schjelderup?
A: He is a young (22-year-old) Norwegian winger who helped Haaland score against Brazil and might start against England.

Q5: What does "assist" mean?
A: An assist is when a player passes the ball to a teammate who then scores a goal right away.