MADRID, 14 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The goalkeeper of the Spanish soccer team Unai Simón confessed the importance of Erling Haaland not touching the ball in the area this Sunday in the duel against Norway on the way to Euro 2024, since it is “determining” and greatly expands the percentage of his team’s goal, while highlighting Spain’s good moment.
“We have already seen the reputation that Haaland has, how decisive he is in the area. I have never faced him but the way to deal with it is to treat him like another striker, with respect, but just like the rest of his teammates” , he said at a press conference, confessing that they ask Rodrigo, the forward’s teammate at Manchester City, for details about Haaland, but also David Raya about Martin Odegaard, teammates at Arsenal.
Spain hopes to seal its place in the EURO this Sunday, but Haaland’s Norway aspires to maintain its chances. “It’s what we all see, how decisive he is in the area, he gets off the ball very well too. In the area he is decisive, any ball he touches, every time it falls to him, he is a finisher, a born scorer and we will have to try to is far from our goal and when he is in the area he does not touch the ball because when he does there are more chances of scoring than normal,” he stated.
Simón valued his state of form and that of the national team. “I see myself with that confidence, just like Kepa and David feel. If the three of us are here it is to compete and play the game against Norway. We are prepared, we have Luis’s confidence and that is what we try to show him on the field” , he commented.
“We are living a great moment, the Nations League is a powerful competition. It is the present we have and it is a team for the future, with players who could even be in the U-19,” he added, before highlighting more of Norway’s virtues. .
“The good thing that Norway has is that it has players with a track record, players, physicality, it has a very complete team. One of those facets is the set piece. It is an aspect that should be given importance,” he stated.
In addition, Simón explained the details of the goalkeepers’ responsibility at the start of the game with Luis de la Fuente. “With Luis Enrique it was not forbidden to hit a ball. I don’t think that aspect has changed much. We are still asked the same thing, that we have personality with the ball, that we generate superiority to the teams that mark us individually. Be coordinated with the defensive line,” he concluded.