England try to prove Anthony Gordon wrong only to prove him right in Spain defeat | OneFootball

When Anthony Gordon urged England to embrace their own DNA and stop trying to copy Spain, he must have foreseen how the Three Lions might fall at Wembley on Saturday night.

The World Cup winners edged the bronze medallists 3-2 in a Nations League thriller to remind us what both teams are good at. And what they are not.

Gordon, as you would expect of an England player plying his trade in Barcelona, already knew. He spoke on Thursday about the innate differences between England and Spain and of his wish for the Three Lions to stop trying to imitate the World Cup winners.

“I’m speaking from a point of view where I feel like we are trying to replicate Spain,” 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.”

Just in case anyone doubted Gordon’s opinion, England proved him exactly right while missing an opportunity to beat a reigning World Cup winner for the first time in over a decade.

The most stark illustration was offered by England’s defenders and their insistence on trying to take on Spain at their own game: building from the back.

It’s just not who we are, is it? Certainly not against those to whom that and pressing like b*stards comes completely naturally.

Everything comes naturally to Lamine Yamal, as Marc Guehi discovered barely 90 seconds in at Wembley.

Guehi, James Trafford and Ezri Konsa attempted to pass around Spain’s first line, only for the Manchester City defender to turn back towards his own goal, completely unaware that Yamal was pressing from the other side.

Once one-on-one, Yamal was never going to miss, though his finish, to lift the ball over Trafford’s right hand, was cuter than it appeared.

Guehi’s mishap did not deter England from doing the wrong thing. They continued with their p*ss-poor tribute act to their opponents, and would have been out of sight if Spain took the chances they were presented when the hosts lost the ball in bad areas.

Then, though, the game flipped when England embraced what comes naturally: being aggressive, direct, quick and clinical.

All of those traits were showcased in a glorious equaliser that began with Spain in possession, intricately trying to work an angle from a corner. Elliot Anderson pinched possession, played forward quickly into Gordon, whose deft touch teed up Jude Bellingham to drive into space. His pass was timed and placed to perfection, as was Gordon’s finish around the retreating Unai Simon.

With tails suddenly up, England embraced the chaos, playing fast and forward rather than pad their passing stats while seeking the calm control every coach these days seems to crave.

England’s intensity saw Spain concede more goals in four first-half minutes than they allowed in eight games at the World Cup.

Nico O’Reilly passed forward, ran forward, getting it back from Gordon close to the goalline; his cross found Harry Kane and the captain’s header completely befuddled Marc Cucurella.

Football is a simple game when you stick to what you’re good at. And the half-time break did not interrupt England’s flow. They began the second half in the same vein, Spain still oddly rattled, as evidenced by Rodri dangling his leg to invite Bellingham to stumble into it.

Of course, missing crucial penalties is also an undeniable thread in England’s DNA. Kane has scored nine in a row since the one he fluffed against France at the World Cup almost four years ago, but with the chance to establish a two-goal cushion, the skipper slipped, kicked it on to his standing foot and against the bar, not that it mattered if it went in or not.

Buoyed by the let off, Spain gathered themselves and reasserted their own rhythm. They were threatening enough without England failing to heed their first lesson of the game.

This time, it was O’Reilly caught in possession in the wrong place. Did the City defenders have other things on their mind?

Regardless, once again, England’s passing was woefully slow so close to their own goal, especially with world champions pressing like rabid dogs. Passing up chances to play fast and safe, O’Reilly lost it on the left, with England exposed, one pass teed up Alex Baena to bend in a beauty.

Spain’s winner owed more to their incision than England’s sloppiness, though Thomas Tuchel will still demand answers over why England’s centre-backs drifted into different postcodes. Mikel Oyarzabal ran off the back of Guehi, and with Ezri Konsa and Jarell Quansah in no position to cover, the Real Sociedad star strolled through to dink a delightful finish over the spread-eagled Trafford.

England, to their credit, tried to build up another head of steam but lacked their visitors’ subtlety around the box.

The mistakes around their own penalty area, though, is what cost England tonight.

Tuchel might normally urge more pragmatism in such areas against the one side in the world who have perfected picking off opponents. But with the criticism after cowering against Argentina still ringing in his ears, did the manager feel obliged to play the type of game England fans and media want to see, regardless of the assignment?

How many England fans, though, really want to see their team – club or country – taking risks in their own third? How often, at any level, do they witness or recognise the benefits of trying to play through a high press?

There is a time and place – neither was tonight at Wembley. Spain cannot be beaten at their own game, but they might have succumbed had England embraced completely what comes naturally at both ends.