van der Vaart prefers Kane over Haaland, but with one condition

Former Real Madrid and Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart would take Harry Kane over Erling Haaland if he had to build a front line from scratch. However, the Dutchman freely admits he is “super jealous” that the Norway striker was not born in the Netherlands.

Speaking exclusively to AceOdds.com ahead of Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final in Miami, the 109-cap Netherlands great weighed up two of the tournament’s deadliest marksmen as England prepare to face a Norway side reaching the last eight for the first time in their history.

Norway have been lucky, but it will be a tough game for England

England booked their place in the last eight with a dramatic 3-2 win over co-hosts Mexico as Jude Bellingham struck twice inside two first-half minutes before Kane settled matters from the penalty spot. Norway, meanwhile, stunned five-time winners Brazil in the Round of 16 thanks to a Haaland brace, extending one of the best stories of the tournament. For van der Vaart, Ståle Solbakken’s side have ridden their luck at points during the tournament, but he expects Thomas Tuchel’s men to show them plenty of respect when they meet this weekend.

“I think Norway is a bit of a surprise but they’ve also been lucky here and there. England vs Norway will be a really interesting game. Because of Haaland, England won’t underestimate Norway. It’s going to be a tough game for them.”

Kane or Haaland? van der Vaart makes his choice

Few players are better placed to answer the question of which striker to build around. van der Vaart spent his career pulling the strings from the No. 10 position at Ajax, Hamburg, Real Madrid and Tottenham, and it was his short spell alongside the England captain in North London that shaped his verdict.

“If I had to play with one of Kane or Haaland, I’d pick Harry Kane. I played with him, of course. But then I’d tell him to just stay up front and don’t come in my No. 10 position. I’ll do the passing.”

“With Haaland I would have fit much better. With a quick striker, I could spread the passes.”

“But both, come on, two unbelievable strikers and mentally they’re so strong. It’s a joy to watch them.”

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Haaland leaves van der Vaart baffled

Haaland has been the sharpest finisher at the tournament, with seven goals in five games, leaving him right in the thick of the Golden Boot race. Yet when the conversation turned to where the Manchester City forward ranks among the all-time greats, the Dutch legend offered an honest and slightly bewildered assessment.

“For me, it is very tough to say whether you are the best or one of the best strikers of all time, also talking about Erling Haaland. Also, it is so difficult to analyse a striker like him. I will explain to you why, because when I see him for a whole game, I am watching him and I think to myself 8 out of 10 times that the guy can’t play football at all.”

“But all of a sudden, ‘boom, boom, boom’, he is there. For me, that is such a big quality. That is an unbelievable mental strength to have. When I watched the first half against Brazil, he didn’t touch the ball. I went to sleep and I woke up seeing that he scored two goals. He didn’t touch one ball in the first half!”

“Will I personally say he is the best striker? No, because I like strikers who can do a lot of things with the ball, but his numbers, his mental strength and his power… Of course, you have to mention him as one of the best - also of all time - but it is difficult to explain when talking about a player like him.”

The Dutchman draws comparisons between Haaland and a former international teammate of his.

“When I watch him play when I am with my wife, I always say to her ‘look at him, he lost the ball again’, but then she says to me that he scored two times and I just don’t know what to say.”

The comparison he settles on is a fellow Dutchman and one of the most clinical poachers of his era, former Bayern Munich and Deportivo forward Roy Makaay.

“Of course, I am super jealous that he is not Dutch. He reminds me a bit of Roy Makaay. He was like that too, he did not really contribute to the game but he was a crazy finisher. It is a big quality and I respect him a lot.”

Why Ødegaard should be pushing higher up the pitch

If Haaland is Norway’s obvious talisman, Martin Ødegaard is the man charged with supplying him. The Arsenal captain has orchestrated Solbakken’s side from the middle of the park, and the former Tottenham star was asked whether that influence risks being lost in the noise around his strike partner.

“I’m not sure if Ødegaard’s performances are going under the radar. For me, he’s one of Norway’s most important players.”

His one note of caution concerned where the playmaker chooses to operate.

“In the Brazil game, I’d say he was dropping really deep to receive passes from defenders and play little passes. I don’t think that was necessary. He should stay a little bit higher on the pitch. That’s the only thing I have to say about it.”

“He’s so comfortable on the ball, finding spaces in the midfield. He’s a fantastic player.”

Bellingham thriving in the space left behind

Jude Bellingham has arguably been England’s most influential outfield player. His double against Mexico made him the first England midfielder to score four times in a single World Cup campaign. With Cole Palmer and Phil Foden left out of Tuchel’s plans, the Real Madrid great believes Bellingham has been handed the freedom he thrives on.

“I think Bellingham is benefiting from not having Cole Palmer and Phil Foden in the squad because Bellingham needs space. He needs to work, to get in the game. It fits him really well. He also has the combination with Kane where Kane drops into midfield and he can go and run forward. He has a lot of qualities.”

“However, the games England have won are games that they should win. They’ve not been tested yet so we’ll see what happens but he’s doing great and he deserved the two goals he scored against Mexico.”

The Pickford question mark

That England scepticism carried through to the man between the posts. Jordan Pickford is on the brink of becoming the country’s all-time leading appearance-maker at World Cups. However, van der Vaart is not fully convinced the Everton goalkeeper belongs in the very top bracket.

“I don’t think Pickford is world class. But I don’t think England has many other options, which says a lot. He’s been number one for many years and he’s doing quite well now.”

England and Norway meet at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, with a semi-final place and, quite possibly, the Golden Boot riding on how the Kane vs Haaland subplot unfolds.

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