Anthony Gordon has become one of England’s most reliable performers, with his latest goal in the 2-0 win over the Czech Republic on Tuesday night following his strike in the 3-2 defeat by world champions Spain at Wembley on Saturday. The Barcelona winger, 25, has made 27 appearances for England and scored six goals, and his form has been building since the knockout stage of the World Cup. Captain Harry Kane said Gordon is showing he belongs at the highest level and is relishing being one of the team’s “main men”.
Gordon’s run of averaging a goal contribution every 69 minutes began with assists for both of Kane’s goals in a 2-1 last-32 win over DR Congo. Since then he has scored three goals and provided three assists in his past six England matches, and he also won the penalty in the dramatic last-16 victory over Mexico at Azteca Stadium. At Barcelona, he has already recorded five assists in La Liga after his summer move from Newcastle.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has been impressed. Asked whether Gordon is becoming one of the first names on the team-sheet, Tuchel said: “He’s getting there. He’s defending his shirt, he’s defending his position – an excellent performance again after his performance against Spain.” Tuchel described Gordon’s goal against the Czech Republic as “excellent” and said the winger is “a very important player” who produces “decisive actions” at the highest level.
Gordon linked well with former Newcastle team-mate Lewis Hall on England’s left and combined with right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold for the opening goal. Alexander-Arnold was making his first England start in nearly two years. Gordon said he had been “dying” to link up with Alexander-Arnold, who plays for Real Madrid. “It’s a great compliment and it’s great to play with him,” Alexander-Arnold said. “I tried to get the ball, and try and see what the best play is and try and play forward and create something. And I was able to get the pass.”
Kane, a guaranteed starter in England’s biggest matches, said the left-sided role had been a problem area, with no player able to make it their own. Gordon looks to have secured it. “His performances in the last couple of games have been some of his best that he has played in an England shirt,” Kane said. “I think he is just relishing putting the shirt on and being one of the main men in the team. He is an important player for us and he showed that during the World Cup.”
It has not been a straightforward route for Gordon. Marcus Rashford, Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden and Noni Madueke have all featured from the left in the past couple of years. Gordon began to emerge as a clear option during Lee Carsley’s interim spell in charge, but last October he said he had only shown “50%” of what he can do for England. That appears to be changing: against the Czech Republic he attempted four shots, more than any England player and more than any of his team-mates against Spain. Since the start of the World Cup knockout stage, he ranks in at least the top four of England players for expected assists (0.9), expected goals (0.9), passes into the box (14), touches in the opposition box (29), chances created (eight) and shots on target (five). He has contributed the same number of goals and assists, six, as Jude Bellingham since England faced DR Congo.
There has been a subplot with Rashford, who was on loan at Barcelona last season but returned to Manchester United after the Catalan club opted not to make the move permanent, instead spending £69m to sign Gordon from Newcastle. Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “People raised eyebrows when Anthony Gordon went to Barcelona for the money that he did and Marcus Rashford came back to Manchester United. He has become a key part of the England team. There were certain games in the World Cup where he was substituted and he shouldn’t have been – I think others should have come off instead of him. Gordon [when he is] full of confidence running at pace like he does, he can go either way and he’s causing full-backs all kind of problems.”
Gordon believes his move to Spain has changed perceptions of him. “I always felt in England, people respected me because I was fast and I pressed but they never actually respected the quality and IQ that I play with,” he told ITV. “Only the players I play with ever seem to notice that. I think now I’m at Barcelona and I play a different style, those qualities are highlighted much more and people are actually starting to take notice that I’m not just quick. In England, it was never really respected because people just see me as really quick and really aggressive. In Spain, they really appreciate my IQ and quality because at Barca, if you’re not technical, if you’re not smart, you’re going to stand out like a sore thumb.”
Tuchel is building a team he believes can challenge for and win the Euros in 2028, but his immediate target is winning the Nations League. If England are to do that, Gordon is likely to have played a huge part.