Anthony Gordon fell off his bike during the European Championship in Germany, and so England’s hopes of finding top gear were duly punctured.
Gareth Southgate did not use the winger again. It was said he was miffed by both the crash – Gordon was using his mobile phone – and the player then telling the media that England’s style was too predictable.
It did not take a genius to decode Gordon’s meaning – play me, I’ll make us unpredictable. But it did not take a genius, either, to realise he was exactly what England did need.
In his five minutes against Slovenia in the final group game – remarkably, his only involvement of the tournament – he broke both the lines and the tedium of England’s play. If it was an audition, he had landed a more prominent role. Two days later he flew over his handlebars and Southgate, to the detriment of the team, decided to keep the stabilisers on during the knockout rounds.
There were two great frustrations in Germany this summer – delayed trains and Gordon sitting on the bench. At least Deutsche Bahn did delay repay. England, by contrast, will forever be counting the cost of not using the one player who could have got them up to speed.
Anthony Gordon (pictured playing against Ireland) fell off his bike during the European Championship in Germany, and so England’s hopes of finding top gear were duly punctured
The Newcastle forward suffered several facial injuries at the Euros after falling off his bike
Here in Dublin on Saturday, interim boss Lee Carsley ventured down the right track, picking Gordon – a left-winger – on the left-wing. A simple solution to what had become a complex problem. Who knew?
It was not just that Gordon provided balance and shape, it was that he distorted the shape, too. He did what Phil Foden could not, run in behind, and do so at pace. It needed just 11 minutes for England to score from this exact tactic. Eleven minutes, if only Gordon had been given that long in Germany.
The Newcastle man can play a lot better than this, too. But he did not have to be at his best to prove his point. Because this was Gordon’s point. It was the point he was trying to make to Southgate by his performances in training (and then during 300 seconds in Cologne).
It was the point he then felt moved to make in front of the media, as he sat there with bloodied hands and a broken soul. Because this was killing Gordon, the frustration of knowing he was both fit and in form – unlike others – and yet his manager continued to choose loyalty over logic.
It is interesting to journey through Gordon’s own words. This is what he told us in Blankenhain before the last-16 tie versus Slovakia. Sources close to the camp suspected some of it was not well received among management.
‘I know I am a nightmare for anyone that I play against,’ he said. ‘I’m positive. Every time I get the ball, I always try to make something happen.
‘I’m not a very safe player. I am always trying to put people on the back foot. I think I add a different element to the team. It (my style) brings a sense of unpredictability.’
He repeated the above last week, and was then asked what England were missing at the Euros.
There were two great frustrations in Germany this summer – delayed trains and Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave Gordon sitting on the bench
Here in Dublin on Saturday, Lee Carsley ventured down the right track, picking Gordon – a left-winger – on the left-wing. A simple solution to what had become a complex problem
‘I think that expression, that freedom to express yourself,’ he said. ‘You could say we controlled all our games, but I don’t think we were very dynamic. We weren’t killing teams, we weren’t relentless in trying to score goals. We lacked a bit of excitement.’
Completing the trilogy, he was asked after Saturday’s game why England looked different under Carsley.
‘I think freedom,’ said Gordon. ‘Not structured players here, there and everywhere. You had Jack (Grealish) going all over the pitch and they couldn’t really pick him up. Me and Bukayo (Saka) tried to hold the width and make runs in behind, so the lads could get in the ball more.
‘It was sort of positionless football in a sense, where people can pick the ball up wherever, intricate passing, but always with the main focus of trying to score goals.’
In just one game, Carsley has shown where England went wrong in the previous seven. Play Gordon. It’s as simple as riding a bike, you might say.
