Gordon: England Should Embrace 'English DNA,' Not Replicate Spain

Anthony Gordon, the Barcelona winger, has urged the England squad to stop attempting to emulate Spain's intricate possession-based style of play, asserting that such an approach is not ingrained in the "English DNA." He believes that England can achieve major tournament victories by focusing on their own distinct strengths.

Gordon's comments come as England prepares to face world champions Spain. This upcoming match marks their first encounter since the World Cup, where England secured their best finish since 1966 by defeating France 6-4 in the bronze medal match after a semi-final loss to Argentina.

The manner of England's semi-final defeat, where a tactical shift to a back five by head coach Thomas Tuchel invited pressure leading to a late equalizer and winner from Argentina, left a significant impact. Gordon described the experience as feeling "worse" and suggested that the "scar" of that loss could potentially motivate a different approach in future tournaments.

"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 stated.

Having moved to Barcelona from Newcastle for £69.3m, Gordon's experience playing in La Liga has provided him with a unique perspective on different footballing philosophies. He is skeptical about the feasibility of teaching English players to adopt a style so fundamentally different from their own.

"I'm speaking from a point of view where I feel like we are trying to replicate Spain," Gordon 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."

England's recent history, including consecutive European Championship final losses and defeats to France and Argentina in the last two World Cups, has fueled discussions about their ability to control possession against elite teams. Spain, for instance, dominated the World Cup final with 65% possession against Argentina.

Gordon acknowledged that replicating Spain's ball-retention style is not innate to English players. "It's not in the English DNA," he asserted. "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."

Gordon, who scored in the semi-final and provided four assists during the tournament, was substituted 17 minutes after scoring against Argentina. He acknowledged that wingers are often substituted but found that particular change notable, especially when playing with what he described as an "untouchable mode of confidence" after scoring.

Reflecting on the team's previous hard-fought victory against Mexico, where they played with 10 men for over 35 minutes, Gordon suggested it may have influenced the mindset against Argentina. He also indicated that the team's performance in training did not always translate to matches, stating that if it had, they "would have dominated everyone."

While defending Tuchel's tactics, Gordon emphasized that players also bear responsibility for controlling games. "As players, we could have done more to take the initiative to control the [Argentina] game," he said. "I think if we do that the manager doesn't make the decision [to use a back five]." He concluded, "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."