It's crunch time for England and Norway as they face off in the World Cup quarter-final, with one thing clear: this match will be won and lost on the wings! Both Thomas Tuchel and Ståle Solbakken are staring down a selection minefield when it comes to their wide players, with each team having rotated their wingers like clockwork throughout the tournament. England's manager has already acknowledged the fierce competition among his four top wingers – Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, Noni Madueke, and Bukayo Saka – all of whom have been vying for a spot in the starting XI.
Neither side has been able to settle on a consistent wing combination, with both Tuchel and Solbakken experimenting with various pairings. England's seen Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford swap places on the left flank, while Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka have taken turns patrolling the right. It's not hard to see why – each of these wingers has been delivering the goods, with Tuchel even admitting that "All four of the wingers are competing against each other at the highest level." The stats back it up: none of the quartet have played more than 57% of the available minutes or started more than three of England's five matches.
Tuchel's approach to wing selection appears to be an ongoing assessment, with him having explored five out of six possible combinations. It's a deliberate ploy, with each match throwing up new challenges and opportunities for Tuchel to fine-tune his team's shape and strategy. Take the game against Mexico, where Saka was withdrawn early on after Jarell Quansah's red card – England briefly adopted a wing-less formation before reverting back to their attacking style.
A closer look at the stats reveals some fascinating insights into each winger's strengths: Anthony Gordon leads the pack for average ball carry length (14.9 metres), while Noni Madueke boasts the highest total distance carried per 90 minutes (255.8 metres). Marcus Rashford stands out for carries that conclude with a shot, having scored against Croatia using this very method. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka has been a creative force to be reckoned with – only two players in the tournament have created more goals after carries than him.
Solbakken's approach is decidedly different, however: he's stuck to his guns with Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sørloth starting three out of four 'first-team' matches. Then there's Schjelderup and Oscar Bobb – typically the ones who come on to finish those games. It was no surprise when Schjelderup assisted both Haaland's goals against Brazil, making his only start in the final group game against France.