Anthony Gordon believes England have enough quality to win major tournaments without trying to replicate Spain’s possession-based approach.
The Barcelona winger was speaking at St George’s Park ahead of England’s meeting with the world champions at Wembley on Saturday, their first match since the World Cup.
“[The] scar doesn’t have to be a negative one because it might lead us to victory in the next tournaments,” Gordon said.
“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 sees Spain differently after Barcelona move
Gordon joined Barcelona from Newcastle for £69.3m during the summer and believes playing in La Liga has changed his understanding of Spanish football.
The 25-year-old has spent the early part of his Barcelona career training and playing alongside some of Spain’s leading players, giving him a closer look at the technical and tactical qualities behind their possession game.
“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 have lost two successive European Championship finals and were eliminated by France and Argentina at the last two World Cups.
Gordon says controlling games is not in England’s DNA
Spain dominated possession in their World Cup final win over Argentina, having 65% of the ball and restricting Lionel Messi’s side to just two shots during 120 minutes. Neither attempt was on target.
Gordon has experienced that style first-hand since moving to Barcelona and says the way Spanish players control games is rooted in qualities that are difficult to teach.
“It’s not in the English DNA,” Gordon said.
“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.
“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.”
