[Sports] De la Fuente's plan: two short guys to stop Haaland from set pieces

[PP JuKuzai]

Luis de la Fuente said before and after the game against Norway: "Haaland's mark is a collective effort, of the entire team." So it was. In that plan drawn up to take care of the best scorer in the world and who until the game against Spain was scoring one goal per game with his team (now they are 27 in 28), there was something that caught the attention. In the few plays they had those of Sobakken on a set piece, the starting mark went to two of the three shortest players on the team: Carvajal (1.73) and Gavi (same height). They were the first annoyances of a strategy in which they later entered into action the help of more powerful players in the aerial game. The result was that the Norwegian danger from set pieces was reduced to nothing, neither in direct shots nor in second actions.

 

 

The plan against Haaland went far beyond the good work done by the three center backs who played (Le Normand, Laporte and David García). Much of the strategy involved isolating the City striker from Odegaaard. And that also turned out well. That connection barely existed during the match at the Ullevaal Stadion and Norway paid dearly for it. Haaland was barely able to start a couple of times and in direct balls from his goalkeeper and defensemen he came out losing more times than winning.

It was a great test, a challenge against the best scorer in the world and De la Fuente's board came out the winner.

 

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