Tuchel wary of Haaland threat ahead of England vs Norway quarter-final

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Head coach says ‘you can’t avoid focusing’ on the forward, who has form against Tuchel’s sides, before the World Cup quarter-final

The way that Thomas Tuchel remembers it, he was the only choice for the award. He had led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2020-21 so when the German publication Sport Bild named its coach of the season, it had to give it to him. “Yeah, there was no way out,” the England head coach says, with a smile. “Because if Jürgen Klopp won at the same time the Charity Shield they give it to him …”

The line is delivered in trademark style: deadpan, apart from the twinkle in his eye and it is especially funny to imagine Klopp’s reaction when he reads it. What happened next for Tuchel was less of a laughing matter. As a part of the deal, he gave an interview to Sport Bild and during it he joked about how he would have “no problem” bringing Erling Haaland to Chelsea and playing him up front with Romelu Lukaku.

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