BOSTON — Sorry Barcelona, no returns and no refunds.
Perhaps that is a tad harsh on Anthony Gordon, whose £70m move from Newcastle United was supposed to give him momentum heading into this World Cup.
Gordon is a player with enough self-belief to covet the Ballon d’Or.
But he really should have produced more than he has in two insipid displays for England.
Against Croatia, you could make the case that his tracking back and intensity created space for those around him to prosper.
Gordon battles Jerome Opoku of Ghana for the ball during the match (Photo: Getty)Yet there was no mitigation for what he produced in the drab draw with Ghana, which was very, very little in the areas that mattered.
It is something Newcastle fans have seen before.
Give him the stage and the space – as he got twice at St James’ Park against Barcelona, the team that ended up buying him – and he often produces.
But present him with a low block on a bog standard Saturday 3pm against Brentford and you wonder what the fuss is about.
On Tuesday he had no answer to the riddle that Ghana’s right-back Marvin Senaya set him. The 25-year-old plays his club football for Auxerre in Ligue 1 and is not widely known outside of France but was brilliant in Boston, sticking Gordon in an attacking straitjacket for 65 minutes.
There were flashes of the sort of stuff Thomas Tuchel wants to see from Gordon – a dummy here, a cushioned touch there. He also had England’s first shot on target in the second half. But mostly it was the sort of anonymity that demands England try something else against Panama.
Tuchel likes Gordon, of course. He urged Chelsea to buy him when he was at Stamford Bridge and he was not alone back then. Eddie Howe won the battle but Jurgen Klopp admired him and Mauricio Pochettino was a big fan too.
You must have something if Barcelona and Bayern Munich are battling for your signature.
But Gordon is that modern footballer who appeals to clubs because he works in a system. He has discipline and has developed an understanding of what managers want.
Require a hard worker who functions superbly in a high-press? He’s your man. An inspirational moment against a deep-lying defence? Maybe not.
This was Gordon’s 22nd cap for England and he has three goals. Given that is the currency the Three Lions need on Saturday in New Jersey, it feels like other options must be considered.
Read more
Daniel Storey: England’s Jude Bellingham experiment is not working Mark Douglas: England are being haunted by a worrying World Cup trendWhen England’s squad was announced, there was unease that Tuchel had jettisoned players capable of performing off the cuff. Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were left out for flatlining form, Rio Ngumoha was considered too young. There was an uneasy sense that he had left players capable of picking a lock at home.
But it is not as if Tuchel does not have options to replace Gordon. Marcus Rashford came on for the final 25 minutes and progressed the ball a bit more. Combined with his excellent goal in the opening game against Croatia, he has assembled a body of work that demands consideration.
If not Rashford, there is also Morgan Rogers – which would mean deploying Jude Bellingham in a different area. To cut to the chase, Tuchel has to try something new.
Hence then, the article about newcastle fans have seen this all before with anthony gordon was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Newcastle fans have seen this all before with Anthony Gordon )
Also on site :