Peter Smith Senior Football Journalist @psmithXI Thursday 24 September 2026 06:57, UK Image: Thomas Tuchel speaks with Anthony Gordon during the World Cup Tuchel was criticised for England’s defensive retreat after Gordon’s goal gave them the lead against Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals, an approach which ultimately allowed their rivals to turn the match around in the final stages. Tuchel responded by hitting out at the ‘DNA’ of English players. “I think ball possession plays a crucial role; it’s maybe not in our DNA like it is in Spanish DNA or in Argentinian-Brazilian DNA, to take the ball and control the game with the ball,” he said. , which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow cookies for this session only. Tuchel made those comments despite leaving some of England’s most technical players – Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold – out of his World Cup squad, and not giving midfielder Kobbie Mainoo a minute of game time during the tournament.However, speaking ahead of England’s Nations League opener with world champions Spain, Gordon has backed his manager’s view.
“England, as a nation, we don’t have that strength, like the Spanish, where we control games like they do,” said Gordon in a press conference. “It’s not in us.” Analysis: Thomas Tuchel must win back trustEngland news and analysis | Follow our England blogNeville: I have a big problem with Tuchel’s DNA commentsGordon was speaking at St George’s Park, a venue created to develop young English players in a technical style inspired by countries such as Spain, where former FA chief football officer Dan Ashworth outlined what became known as the ‘England DNA’ – an ironic backdrop given Tuchel’s remarks.Gordon, who now plays his club football in Spain for Barcelona, came through that system, starring in the country’s successful youth teams, but said: “I’m not sure it’s something that can be [taught].”Playing in Spain, I can speak with an educated view on the way they keep the ball is different. It’s much different than I’ve ever experienced playing in this country.”I’m not sure we can ever get that but we can definitely get better, or maybe go the other way and really play to our strengths, which is play physical, play direct football, and on the counter-attack.” Gordon defends Tuchel: “Everyone should take responsibility” for Argentina loss “I felt we weren’t performing in the matches like we did in training because if we did, we would have dominated everyone, which wasn’t the case. Every match was quite close.
Even in the Norway game, I didn’t feel like they were really at our level. We could have dominated that game, but for some reason, we just didn’t do it.”So it makes a lot of sense to me why the manager would then go more safe and more defensive and really tune into what got us through the previous two rounds in that moment [against Argentina].”It might not to other people, but it does to me being a part of the group.”I felt like, as players, we could have done more to take the initiative, to control the game. If we do that, the manager doesn’t make the decision [with defensive subs].”So I think everyone likes to blame the manager because that’s football. Managers always take responsibility. But in my opinion, one person shouldn’t be responsible for a million different decisions that are happening at one time.”For me, we had the best team, we had the best players on the pitch in that semi-final and in the last 20 minutes we didn’t play the best football.
That’s something the manager can’t really affect from the sideline. Everyone together should take responsibility.” Speaking last week, Tuchel suggested England should perhaps “embrace the chaos” of that approach, and Gordon believes that could be the key lesson from the summer’s World Cup disappointment.”I think now that we’ve had that experience, probably the next time we’re in that position, we’ll go the other way,” he said. “That scar doesn’t have to be a negative one, because it might lead us to victory in the next tournaments.” Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player England and Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon backs both club team-mate Lamine Yamal and fellow countryman Harry Kane for this year’s Ballon d’Or ‘We’re English and we have our own strengths’ Image: Anthony Gordon scored England’s opener in the World Cup semi-final against Argentina Detailing the difference between Spanish and English players, Gordon said: “We, as English players, are educated the same way as the Spanish players. We know how to keep possession, but it’s the decision-making of certain players in Spain which is just not a natural thing [for English players].”I even look at some of the decisions they take on the ball sometimes and think, ‘I’m not sure how you’ve seen that’.
It’s the way they’re built.”It’s important for us that 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 to what we’re good at.”Did iconic win in Mexico make England defensive? Image: Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham celebrating after England’s 3-2 win over Mexico Reflecting on the World Cup, Gordon also highlighted the impact of England’s backs-to-the-wall, 10-man victory over Mexico at the Azteca, and how it subconsciously shaped their mentality for the subsequent matches against Norway and Argentina.”The Mexico game was by far the best experience I’ve ever had in my life. But I think that probably set us up in a way,” he said.”The red card, it made us show a different side of us.
We weren’t so much the team that wanted to play anymore, we needed to really fight to get the victory, which we did. Then that probably became our MO a bit too much for the next two games, and ultimately didn’t work for us in the semi-final.” Gordon was surprised to be subbed off vs Argentina after scoring “Yeah, I was, to be totally honest. Only because I’d just scored.”I’m really good when I play off adrenaline and when I score I normally don’t have many bad games because I get into an untouchable mode of confidence. It makes me feel on top of the world, especially in that moment, on that stage.
I felt really good.” Gordon, though, still backs the quality in the England squad – and is convinced they could have upset Spain in the final had they made it.”I felt so confident,” he said. “I felt like if we would have got to the final, I would have felt so confident playing Spain, that we would come out victorious, but we just didn’t get there, so we’ll never know.” Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Rob Dorsett discusses whether Kobe Mainoo will play again for England under Thomas Tuchel after the Manchester United midfielder pulled out of the England squad. It’s not a World Cup final but England have the opportunity to show their level on Saturday at Wembley.”If we can’t be motivated to show what we can do at this level, then we’re never going to be,” said Gordon. “Spain are an incredible team.”I spoke with the guys at Barca and said ‘how would they have felt if we got to the final [instead of] Argentina?'”They’d seen us as really competitive.
It would have been a much more competitive game, because I felt Spain dominated the final. So maybe we can show that. We can show them how good we are.”It won’t replicate the final but playing against the best team in the world and winning and playing well, that’ll do for now.”Follow England vs Spain on the Sky Sports website and App on Saturday; kick-off 7.45pm Play Super 6 to win £1m! Play Super 6 for a chance to win £1m!
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