The only place to start this week is England’s last-16 win over Mexico, which was a brilliant performance. I thought they were first class in the way they managed the atmosphere, and the subs that came on all had an impact.
They defended with their lives after going down to 10 men and it was their best performance of the World Cup, ahead of a big test against Norway.
Clinton was speaking on behalf of Freebets.com home to the best betting sites.
'England need to be clinical against Norway. They can be got at' - Clinton Morrison
You just need to look at what they did against Brazil, so England need to be clinical. I think they’re a team you can get at defensively, but their midfield, wingers and forward line can cause problems.
Stale Solbakken has got some good options at his disposal, and you saw that in the Brazil game when he took off Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sorloth, replacing them with Oscar Bobb and Andreas Schjelderup.
You can’t dismiss Martin Odegaard either, who ran the show against Brazil. Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson will have to get tight on him and ensure he doesn’t do the same again on Saturday.
Erling Haaland was also magnificent in the game, and containing him will be absolutely vital if England are to win the game. That’s a job for Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa, while the full-back position will be key, with Reece James doubtful and Jarrell Quansah being suspended.
A lot of focus will be on Djed Spence, who did really well when he came on at left-back against Mexico. He managed to stop the crosses coming into the box, which were causing England plenty of problems in the game, and I’d expect him to start at right-back on Saturday.
Moving away from England now, and there’s been plenty of controversy about Folarin Balogun’s red card being overturned. It’s something which has been spoken about a lot, and I don’t think people need to be getting involved in that situation.
I’ve seen that France have now asked FIFA whether Michael Olise’s yellow card can be overturned, even though he’s not suspended, as one more yellow would see him miss the following game.
Their request has been denied, and now you’re going to have everyone asking for similar treatment. England were thinking about appealing Quansah’s red card too, even though it was the correct decision in my opinion. But there’s no question that FIFA handled the Balogun situation very badly.
On a more positive note, so many young players have impressed at this World Cup. Ayyoub Bouaddi of Morocco is a superb player, and Gilberto Mora has been very impressive in midfield for Mexico at the age of just 17.
Norway’s Antonio Nusa has had a fine tournament, and England will have to be prepared for him. He’s someone who’s unpredictable, as you don’t know which way he’s going to go, and always wants to take on his full-back.
Someone’s who’s also gone under the radar a bit is Spain’s Pau Cubarsi, who’s been outstanding alongside Aymeric Laporte in the heart of their defence. If you're 19 and you're playing at Barcelona, then you must be a good player.
Looking at some transfer news now, and there’s plenty of talk that Bruno Guimaraes could join Arsenal. I’m surprised, as I never would’ve thought he would leave Newcastle. But if he's told them he wants to leave, you probably know what's going to happen. The same thing happened with Alexander Isak, who eventually got his move to Liverpool.
What a signing it would be for Arsenal though. He'll improve them. He's a good player. He always wants the ball, and doesn't hide. I know he missed the penalty against Norway, but I think he's a top player. It'd be a brilliant signing for Arsenal and he would take them to a whole different level. You could see him and Rice dominating that central midfield. I know they've got Martin Zubimendi as well, but the idea of him and Rice together is exciting.
Some other big transfer news concerns Manchester United agreeing a fee with Chelsea for Andrey Santos. It was a bit out of the blue, but I think you can understand it after missing out on some more expensive targets.
He’s only 22 and is someone who’s good on the ball and wants to make things happen. A £50 million fee is not a bad price these days. They still want another midfielder as well, and it looks like United will also sign the boy Ederson from Atalanta too.
They’re doing some good business this summer, and it’ll be interesting to see how well both players perform for them next season.
