England can ‘take the handbrake off’ for World Cup quarter-final against Norway
SUPER EIGHTS: England are three wins away from World Cup glory. Pic: Nick Potts/PA
Assistant manager Anthony Barry says it is time for England to take the handbrake off as Thomas Tuchel’s side head into the World Cup clash against Norway with a full tank and their foot on the gas.
The back-to-back European Championship finalists continue their quest for glory against Erling Haaland and Co in the Miami heat at Hard Rock Stadium in Saturday’s quarter-final.
Argentina or Switzerland await the victor on Wednesday in Atlanta, where England started the knockouts by surviving a scare in the 2-1 comeback win against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Tuchel’s side then overcame hostility, altitude and a red card to beat co-hosts Mexico in Sunday’s 3-2 last-16 thriller and there is belief that the best it yet to come.
“We believe that the petrol tank is full, the foot is on the gas, and now maybe we just need to take the handbrake off,” England assistant Barry told talkSPORT.
“Sometimes that can happen with the opponents that we’re facing, sometimes maybe that will happen when they really see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“There’s only 11 days left and now is the time to take the handbrake off and go all in.
“We think that the public and everyone has seen so many good faces of this team, but we still believe there’s some left to show.
“And if they click, if they become coherent and be able to find a cohesive performance that we think they’re capable of, then it could be pretty exciting to watch.”
Barry’s belief comes from England’s tremendous level of training and a togetherness that was clear for all to see during and after the game at the Estadio Azteca.
They dug deep and then turned from celebration to protection after Jordan Henderson’s freak injury – something the assistant called an “incredible moment” for a group they have always had confidence in.
“I think Thomas and I certainly hoped or believed it from the day we took the job,” Barry said of their World Cup ambitions.
“It’s our job to believe and make the players and the rest of the nation believe with us.
“There were 48 teams at the start of the competition. We’re down to eight. I think if you ask the other seven countries, they will also now start to dream and see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“But, for us, we’ve since day one said we want to try and put the second star on the shirt. We’re here to compete, but so all the other seven teams that are left.”
Barry feels “world-class” manager Tuchel is bringing the best out of England’s elite players, whose characteristics and squad dynamic he sees as similar to that of Norway.
“We expect a difficult game,” he added. “We expect to see a lot of names on the team sheet that I know, that you know, that a lot of fans know from the elite players we see in the Premier League every week.
“You can see that they’re a nation that’s together. You can see in the way they do this fantastic celebration that it’s a nation that’s united, that’s behind the team.
“I think that level of patriotism inside of a World Cup is quite powerful, so we come up against a unit that’s physical, that’s strong, that’s together. Almost words that I would use to describe our own team.
“So, we expect a difficult game, we expect Miami, we expect the heat, all of these things. Every game in the World Cup poses hurdles and Norway will be no different. We have to overcome them.”
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