Newcastle star on area in which Barcelona are superior to Premier League’s top clubs | OneFootball

A member of the attacking ranks at Newcastle United has moved to reveal his appreciation for the talents of Hansi Flick’s Barcelona squad.

This, of course, comes fresh off the continental showdown between the two clubs on Thursday night.

Barcelona made the trip to St. James’ Park yesterday evening, for a Champions League opening round clash.

When all was said and done, it was the visitors who emerged on the right side of the result, courtesy of a Marcus Rashford-inspired 2-1 result.

In the game’s aftermath, the Blaugrana have since been lavished in widespread praise, in particular for their ball-retaining capacity.

At the base of Hansi Flick’s midfield, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong completely controlled proceedings, dominating everything from touches to movement, passing and beyond.

And one individual who could not help but be impressed by as much was Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon.

Drawn on Barcelona’s showing during a post-match exchange with the media, Gordon, who notched the Magpies’ consolation at St. James’ Park, revealed his take that the Catalans may well be superior to the Premier League’s top clubs at present, particularly when it comes to keeping the ball:

“Pedri and De Jong were fantastic. They made it really difficult for us to do our usual press, and they controlled the game.

“They were the best I’ve played against in that sense of the game. To be honest, we are not used playing against players who can keep the ball in this way.

“We played against top teams like City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, but the way they passed the ball in midfield made it very hard for us to press.”

Quotes provided to beIN Sports, via Goal.

Conor Laird – GSFN