“Respect my game”- Barcelona star admits to new lease of life following Camp Nou arrival | OneFootball

Anthony Gordon arrived at FC Barcelona carrying a reputation already well established in English football. He was quick, direct, aggressive without the ball and willing to run at defenders repeatedly, all qualities that had helped turn him into an England international at Newcastle United.

There was always more to his game than that description suggested. Yet moving from the Premier League to Barcelona meant entering an environment where technique and tactical understanding are examined differently, and Gordon believes that shift has altered the perception surrounding him.

Speaking to ITV Football, the 25-year-old admitted that his move to Catalonia has resulted in greater appreciation for parts of his game that were perhaps overlooked in England.

Gordon said:

“I think people respect my game a little bit more now. When you play for Barcelona, people automatically think you have to be technically good, you have to be tactically smart.”

He then offered a revealing assessment of how he felt he was previously viewed.

“I feel like maybe before, people just thought I was fast and worked hard.”

A player getting his due in the right colours

There is some irony in that perception because those same qualities were among the reasons Barcelona wanted him. Hansi Flick demands enormous intensity from his forwards. Gordon’s willingness to press, recover possession and attack space gives Barca something different alongside technically gifted players such as Lamine Yamal.

But Barcelona also ask more of him as wide players must understand when to stay outside, when to move between the lines and when to attack space behind the defence. Possession is not simply about keeping the ball; positioning determines where the next opening appears. Gordon has previously acknowledged how quickly players can be exposed in Barça’s system if their tactical understanding is lacking.

His adaptation cannot be measured solely by his goal tally as Flick has publicly supported the Englishman during his wait for a first competitive Barcelona goal, with Gordon’s work in the press and contribution to the team’s attacking structure remaining important, and that may ultimately be the most significant change brought by his move.

At Newcastle, Gordon established himself through qualities opponents could immediately see. Barcelona are now asking him to demonstrate the ones that are easier to miss, and by his own admission, people are finally beginning to notice them.