Former England manager Sam Allardyce has advised Thomas Tuchel to drop Marc Guehi, a teammate of Erling Haaland at Manchester City, from the lineup for the quarter-final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In an interview with Metro, Allardyce emphasized that Guehi should not be tasked with marking the prolific Norwegian striker, Haaland, during the match on Saturday.
England is set to face Norway in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup this Saturday.
“I would not allow Guehi to mark Haaland at any point if it can be avoided. If Konsa is playing alongside him, then it should be Konsa’s responsibility. They may need to switch roles as the game progresses,” he stated.
“If you leave Guehi isolated against Haaland, regardless of his abilities, he will struggle to contend with Haaland’s aerial strength and size when it comes to crosses or balls into the box.”
Allardyce urged the current England head coach, Tuchel, to consider selecting Dan Burn from Newcastle United instead of Guehi for the crucial quarter-final match, saying, “Whether Thomas Tuchel is willing to take a risk and include a larger center-back like Dan Burn is a decision he must make.
“Do you really want to disrupt the team again? It’s a significant choice. He has many factors to consider, but I believe that is a change worth contemplating.”
Haaland, participating in his first World Cup, has already scored seven goals and provided one assist in just four matches in North America.