Anthony Gordon has confessed that being substituted during England’s World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina caught him off guard, and he feels the letdown is something he may never completely get past.
Gordon had given England hope of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 when he found the net in the 55th minute in Atlanta. But his evening came to an end 11 minutes later when Thomas Tuchel brought on defender Ezri Konsa in his place. England found it difficult to escape their own half following the switch, and Argentina then struck twice late to book their spot in the final.
Anthony Gordon discusses England substitution
Gordon said he had not anticipated being withdrawn, especially since he had just scored and felt he was performing with huge belief.
“I was, to be completely honest,” Gordon said when asked whether the decision had caught him by surprise. “Only because I’d just scored, so I’m the kind of player that, as I’ve said before, I’m really good when I play off adrenaline.”
The forward explained that scoring usually lifts him to another level of confidence and can shape how he performs for the rest of a game.
“When I score, I normally don’t have many bad games because I get into an untouchable mode of confidence,” he said. “It makes me feel on top of the world. Especially in that moment, on that stage, I felt really good.”
England World Cup semi-final loss
Gordon also spoke about the emotional toll of England’s defeat and admitted he does not think he will ever simply put it behind him.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said when asked whether he would ever move past the disappointment. Gordon likened the experience to losing anything of real importance, saying such moments can leave a permanent effect.
“To be completely honest, I think any time you lose anything of value in life – whether it be a person or something like a match or anything you really want to have or win or anything of great value – you’ll never be the same person,” he said. “It leaves a scar, but that scar doesn’t always have to be a negative one.”
Gordon believes tough experiences can also create a chance for personal development. “You can be a better person for it. You can learn different things about the world, about yourself,” he added.
England’s possession compared with Spain’s
Much of the talk after the defeat centred on England’s inability to retain possession, with Tuchel suggesting that controlling games in that manner was not part of the country’s “DNA”.
Gordon agreed that England do not currently have the same natural capacity to dictate matches through possession that he has seen from Spanish players. His view has been influenced by playing in Spain, where he says the method of keeping the ball is very different from what he encountered in England.
“I think culturally, it’s not just that tournament or that game where we couldn’t control a game,” Gordon said. “England as a nation, we don’t have that strength like the Spanish, where we control games like they do. It’s not in us.”
He admitted he was not certain whether the difference could be taught, pointing to the decision-making of Spanish players when they are on the ball.
England’s strengths ahead of Spain’s clash
Gordon believes English players are taught to keep possession in much the same way as their Spanish counterparts, but he notices a difference in the choices made during games.
“We know how to keep possession, but it’s the decision-making of certain players in Spain, which is just not a natural thing,” he said. “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’.”
The England forward said he could not fully explain why Spanish players seem to have a different instinct on the ball. Instead of trying to copy that approach entirely, he suggested England could keep improving or lean more heavily on their own strengths.
“So I’m not sure we can ever get that, but we can definitely get better, or maybe go the other way and really play to our strengths, which is to play physical, play direct football, and on the counterattack,” Gordon said.