Euro 2024 ended with Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon making just one appearance for England.
The 23-year-old did not feature in the final as the Three Lions lost 2-1 to Spain, with Mikel Oyarzabal netting an 86th minute winner to break English hearts.
For Anthony Gordon, it never felt likely that he would feature in the final. He had only played once prior to the showpiece event in Berlin, with Gareth Southgate constantly ignoring the Newcastle United winger.
That continued in the final, despite England needing an injection of pace and real width. That is what they have needed all tournament, yet Southgate looked elsewhere.
Gary Neville namedrops Anthony Gordon after England lose
It was a decision that has infuriated Newcastle fans, who have been desperate to see Gordon strut his stuff on the international stage. It looked like he was being positioned to be a key player for England, yet Gordon’s biggest moment came when he fell off his bike.
In the final, England could not get up the pitch. They were set up to play on the break, but could not transition away from defence.
It was a real problem for England, and a problem that Gary Neville has suggested that Anthony Gordon could have solved.
Neville mentioned Gordon during his analysis of England’s struggles against Spain on ITV on Sunday night.
“We tried to win this tournament in moments,” he said.
“You can win games in moments. And I said at half time, we had a counterattacking strategy by playing deep and compactly. But we did not have the pace on the break to be able to carry the ball forward quickly.
“It was a catch 22 for us, that we were stuck in between trying to keep possession as a team with the players that we had on the pitch, but actually sat deep which meant we couldn’t get up the pitch because we didn’t have the Gordons and the Watkins on the pitch. That was a factor in the game.”
England were setup for Gordon, but Newcastle winger was ignored
Gordon must be really frustrated after his first major international tournament. He worked so hard to get there, and was only given five minutes to express himself.
That came in the group stage against Slovenia, and the Toon number 10 actually did a lot during his cameo. He was impressive during that five minute outing, yet it did not result in him getting more opportunities.
Instead, England had either Phil Foden or Jude Bellingham out wide – two of England’s most gifted players, but not wingers.
Southgate shoehorned players into his team, yet failed to give them an environment to succeed. Foden and Bellingham need to be central, while Harry Kane needs pace around him.
Gordon would have given him that pace, and it would have helped England play higher up the pitch.
It was a problem that England had throughout the tournament, and one that continued in the final. England were so poor in possession, and did not have the pace to counterattack.
All the while, Gordon sat on the bench wondering what more he can do.
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