Anthony Gordon has sided with Thomas Tuchel’s assertion that controlling games through possession is not part of English football’s DNA, arguing that the problem runs deeper than any single tournament or tactical decision.
England’s long-running difficulty in keeping the ball under pressure resurfaced in their World Cup semi-final against Argentina in July, when a place in the final was within touching distance. Argentina fought back with two late goals to go through, and the fallout has been intense. Tuchel’s tactical choices in Atlanta were criticised, and the head coach faced a backlash after saying that “ball possession” was not in his team’s DNA.
Gordon, who believes he will always be scarred by that defeat, did not blame Tuchel for the collapse. Instead, he pointed to what he sees as an ingrained national characteristic. “Culturally it’s not just that tournament or that game where we couldn’t control a game,” he said. “As a nation we don’t have that strength like the Spanish, where we control games like they do. It’s not in us. I’m not sure it’s something that can be taught. Playing in Spain I can speak with an educated view on the way they keep the ball.”
The 25-year-old has gained an insight into Spanish thinking on the ball since his move to Barcelona. His conclusion is that England should stop trying to copy other nations and lean into their own strengths instead. “It’s much different than I’ve ever experienced in this country, so I’m not sure we can ever get that,” he said. “We can definitely get better – or maybe go the other way and really play to our strengths, which is play physical, play direct football and on the counterattack.”
Gordon still credits English players with the technical grounding to keep possession, identifying decision-making as the difference. “We as English players are educated the same way as the Spanish players, we know how to keep possession, but it’s the decision-making of certain players in Spain,” he said. “I look at some of the decisions they take on the ball sometimes and think: ‘I’m not sure how you’ve seen that.'” Tuchel, who has spoken about embracing the chaos of English football, is unsure whether his side can play with more control.
Gordon opened the scoring against Argentina and was surprised to be taken off by Ezri Konsa, the substitution coming as Tuchel made the first of two defensive moves and switched to a back five after the hydration break in the second half. “I’d just scored,” he said. “I’m really good when I play off adrenaline. When I score, I normally don’t have many bad games, because I get into an untouchable mode of confidence. But as a winger I come off most games. It’s normal, it’s usually the position that’s targeted first for substitutions, because the player on the bench in your position is usually quick, and usually really good.”
Rather than criticise his manager, Gordon argued the players carried responsibility. “It makes a lot of sense to me why the manager would then go more safe and more defensive,” he said. “As players we could have done more to take the initiative, to control the game. We had the best team, we had the best players 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.” He added that England’s performances had not matched their level in training.
Gordon was speaking as England prepare for their Nations League fixture against Spain on Saturday. He also revealed that his Barcelona teammates had told him England would have given Spain a tougher game than Argentina did in the final, where Spain dominated in New Jersey and won 1-0 in extra time.