As the March international break winds down, attention across English football is turning sharply to what promises to be one of the ties of the season. Liverpool face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, April 4.
For Arne Slot, the news coming out of the Germany camp is already encouraging, with Florian Wirtz expected to be rested for Tuesday’s friendly against Ghana.
But Liverpool’s opponents will be taking some heart of their own from developments on the international stage – because Erling Haaland has been handed what his Norway manager openly describes as “special treatment.”
The Manchester City striker was absent from Norway’s friendly against the Netherlands last Friday, with head coach Stale Solbakken confirming to TV2 that the decision was deliberate and carefully considered:
“We have to take into account the overall load Erling has been under for a long, long time and based on that, we have concluded that the best solution for all parties is for him to get a necessary break now,” Solbakken said.
“Our conclusion is that it’s best if Erling participates in, at most, one of the matches during this international break, and we think it would be nice if he perhaps gets to show himself in front of the Ullevaal crowd against Switzerland. It is special treatment precisely because of what Erling has been through both on and off the pitch.”
“There is a huge amount of pressure on him, and for me it is by far most important that he delivers at the World Cup in June.”
Haaland is expected to feature against Switzerland on Tuesday before heading back to club duty, meaning Pep Guardiola should have his striker refreshed and available for the weekend.
The Norwegian has scored just three goals from open play in his last 19 appearances across all competitions – a drought by his extraordinary standards – and with City also chasing a Premier League title push against Arsenal, getting their talisman physically right is non-negotiable.
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