​Ezri Konsa is confident he has the credentials to handle Erling Haaland. With Marc Guehi managing hamstring tightness, Konsa—the only defender to start every one of England’s World Cup games this summer—will be tasked with keeping Haaland in check for England’s quarterfinal in Miami. The challenge does not faze him, though, especially since Haaland has failed to score in his last four appearances against Aston Villa while playing for Manchester City. The 28-year-old center-back, who helped England win the UEFA Europa League, has emerged victorious in three of those encounters and spoke to BBC Sport ahead of the quarterfinal, via The Mirror, saying: “Look, it is going to be a test, 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 full belief, full confidence in the defence. As long as we stay 100 percent focused, I’m sure we’ll be all right.”
Asked about Villa’s recent success against Haaland, Konsa offered a straightforward answer: “No secret. I really do believe in myself, in my abilities, and what I can do as a defender. I think as long as we as defenders believe that we can go into that game thinking we won’t give him a yard or go into that pitch knowing that you’re going to stop him from scoring, I think as defenders that’s the only way to go about it in games, not just this game but in every game that you play.” He reiterated that it would be a test for everyone, reiterating his belief in the defence and the importance of staying focused: “It is going to be a test, 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 full belief, full confidence in the defence. As long as we stay 100 percent focused, I’m sure we’ll be all right.”
When asked if he would seek guidance from any of Haaland’s former or current teammates—Jude Bellingham, Guehi, John Stones or Nico O’Reilly—before the clash at Hard Rock Stadium, Konsa said he hadn’t consulted anyone. “No, I haven’t, not at all. I think I’ve come up against Haaland quite a few times in my career, so I know what he’s about, I know what I’m about, so full focus on me and what I can do in the game.”
England are wary of fixating on a single opponent—even though Haaland has already scored seven goals at this World Cup—and Konsa believes Norway can still threaten if the Three Lions lose focus. He pointed to Norway’s danger players, noting: “The left winger, I think it’s [Antonio] Nusa, he seems pretty good. They’ve also got [Martin] Ødegaard, who I’m quite familiar with, and they’ve got that tall right-winger, [Alexander] Sørloth, and Sander Berge of Fulham.” He acknowledged their quality and warned that England will need to be vigilant throughout, emphasizing that the team must stay sharp and ready to react to any attacking threat.