How do you solve the problem of Erling Haaland’s goal mania?
A familiar pack of journalists probed familiar themes to Erling Haaland who gave familiar answers in the pre-match press conference. “Should England fans stay humble?” A reminder of his famous quip at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta two seasons ago: “Stay, humble, eh!” He replied, with a plain face and dry tone: “I think everyone should stay humble.” Haaland has a dry sense of humour, the dryness exaggerated by the economy of emotions. Even sarcasm doesn’t invoke instant laughter, as when he said: “I think every single one of you (journalists) should put pressure on the English lads!” The floor took a second to register his words, before they were in splits. “A funny game it would be,” he said. Funny, he emphasised, because he would be running against familiar faces and teammates. Haaland dusted up his ties with the country. “I think for me it’s super special because I play in England and I’m born in England and you also play against team-mates and everything,” he said. Three of England’s back four who could be tasked …
