Tuchel won't like this! England star admits Spain are better
Anthony Gordon has explained why England cannot control matches in the same way as Spain.
Details: Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of England's meeting with Spain, the Barcelona winger compared the two national teams' approaches to possession. Gordon admitted that Spanish players make decisions on the ball that he sometimes struggles to understand, even after gaining firsthand experience of football in Spain.
“We do NOT have the strength like the Spanish, where we can control games like they do. It's not in us. I'm not sure if it's something that can be taught,” Gordon said.
“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's remarks concern Spain's ability to retain possession and dictate the tempo of matches, rather than an assessment of which national team is stronger in every respect. His observations also echo Thomas Tuchel's earlier comments about the differences between English and Spanish football.
It is worth noting that Gordon joined Barcelona from Newcastle this summer. England are due to face Spain at Wembley on September 26 in the UEFA Nations League.
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