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England should stick to strengths instead of imitating Spain style, believes Gordon

Anthony Gordon speaks to the press
Anthony Gordon speaks to the pressAction Images via Reuters / Jason Cairnduff

Winger Anthony Gordon believes England should abandon attempts to copy ⁠Spain's possession-based style of football and instead embrace their natural game by leaning more ‌into physical strengths.

Following England's World Cup semi-final loss to ‌Argentina in July, England manager Thomas Tuchel ‌attracted a backlash after saying ball possession was "not ‌in their DNA" like Spain, where a passing-heavy ‌approach is taught at all levels.

Gordon, who moved to Spanish club Barcelona from Newcastle United in May, ‌agreed with Tuchel and said ⁠on Wednesday that ‌he was not sure English players could be taught ​in a similar way.

"Culturally, it's not just that tournament (the World Cup) or that game (against ​Argentina) where we couldn't control a game," the 25-year-old told reporters ahead of England's Nations ⁠League match against ​Spain on Saturday.

"As a nation we don't have that strength like the Spanish, where we control games like they do. It's not in ‌us. I'm not sure it's something that can be taught. Playing in Spain I can speak with an educated view on the way they keep the ball.

"It's much different than I've ever experienced in this country, so I'm not sure we can ever get that. We can definitely get better – or maybe go ‌the other way and really play to our ​strengths, which is play physical, play direct ‌football and on the counterattack."

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After hosting Spain at Wembley, England visit the Czech Republic and Croatia before playing the Czechs again at home.

The remaining two fixtures of the ⁠Nations League group ⁠will be completed in ‌November.

UEFA Nations League

The UEFA Nations League 2026/27 is contested by the national teams of 54 of UEFA's member associations. They're divided into four leagues based on the rankings of the previous edition, with Leagues A, B, and C featuring sixteen teams each, divided into four groups of four, while League D features six teams divided into two groups of three. It begins in September 2026, with the finals in June 2027.

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