Anthony Gordon says England should stop trying to copy Spain and instead develop their own style if they want to win major tournaments.
Speaking at St George’s Park ahead of England’s friendly with the world champions on Saturday, the Barcelona winger said controlling possession “is not in the English DNA.” He believes that after recent near-misses, including last year’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, England could benefit from embracing their own strengths rather than imitating Spain’s approach.
England lost 2-1 to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup semi-final, before beating France 6-4 in the bronze medal match to secure their best finish since 1966. Gordon scored England’s goal in that semi-final and was surprised to be substituted just 17 minutes after taking the lead, a tactical change by manager Thomas Tuchel that invited pressure and eventually led to Argentina’s late winner.
“That scar doesn’t have to be a negative one because it might lead us to victory in the next tournaments,” Gordon said. “We can’t keep looking at other countries and trying to be like them, because we’re not them – we’re English and we have our own strengths which they don’t have, so maybe we start playing the way we’re good at.”
Gordon’s comments come from his experience playing in La Liga since his summer transfer from Newcastle to Barcelona for £69.3 million. He said his time in Spain has given him a clearer view of the differences between English and Spanish football.
“I’m speaking from a point of view where I feel like we are trying to replicate Spain,” he said. “Because I’m in Spain, I know we have just as good players, but they have different qualities, so why are you trying to make those players the same as the Spanish players? Because the Spanish players lack the things that we have and vice versa.”
Spain’s style is built around intricate possession and ball retention. They won the World Cup by beating Argentina and dominated the final with 65% possession, limiting Lionel Messi’s team to just two shots on target in 120 minutes. England’s struggles to control possession against top nations have drawn repeated scrutiny after recent major tournaments. Gordon said he doubts English players can be taught to play like Spaniards.
“It’s not in the English DNA,” he said. “I’m not sure it’s something that can be taught because now I think, playing in Spain, I can speak with an educated view on the way they keep the ball is different. I even look at some of the decisions they take on the ball sometimes and think I’m not sure how you’ve seen that. It’s the way they’re built. I don’t know whether it is something that maybe we can’t ever put a name to, but they’re definitely built different.”
Gordon had a strong tournament for England, starting five games and providing four assists. After scoring in the semi-final, he said he “plays off adrenaline” and “goes into an untouchable mode of confidence.” Despite being substituted early in that game, he explained that wingers often come off during matches, so it was not unusual.
England’s 3-2 win over Mexico in the last 16 was notable for the team playing over 35 minutes with 10 men after Jarell Quansah’s red card. Gordon said that hard-fought victory influenced how the team approached the semi-final against Argentina.
He also suggested the team did not perform at the level they showed in training, which contributed to losing control late in the semi-final. Gordon defended Tuchel’s decision to adopt a more defensive approach after England took the lead, which had drawn criticism.
“We shouldn’t try and blame one man who’s obviously trying his best and trying to win the cup for us all,” Gordon said. “As players, we could have done more to take the initiative to control the [Argentina] game. I think if we do that the manager doesn’t make the decision [to use a back five]. For me, we had the best team, we had the best players on the pitch in that semi-final, and in the last 20 minutes we didn’t play the best football. That’s something the manager can’t really affect from the sideline, so I think as a group everyone together should take responsibility.”
England’s next test against Spain at Wembley will again challenge them to find a response to the reigning world champions’ style. Gordon’s message is clear: England may need to look inward rather than try to replicate what Spain do.
According to BBC Sports.
