TOAnthony Michael Gordon (Liverpool, 2001) it’s already from Barcelona. It is surprising that, despite the 70 million fixed plus 10 in variables What has it cost, he doesn’t finish being a footballer very recognized by the general public.
What can the Newcastle winger contribute? That’s the question. Above all, versatility. He international english can act in any position of the attack: left winger, right winger and center forward. Carlo Ancelotti made him debut in premier with the Everton, aged 18 years, 10 months and 25 days, on the right.
‘Antonio’ Gordon dared to speak Spanish: no one saw it coming who knew the language so well!
Little by little it was ‘turning’ towards the left until you play changed leg ended up becoming his most common position. Acting in the theoretical position of Raphinha he likes to receive open, close to band. It seeks to activate quickly, through oriented control, to throw the diagonal towards the middle and finish with a cross/shot to the long post. It is stranger to see him overflowing from the outside.
The extreme Gordon does not respond to an associative profile. Receive, control, drive… In short, take several touches before releasing the ball. It is true that, once activatedtries to give continuity to the action. Especially with walls let them ‘verticalize’another of the hallmarks of his game. In it dodgewithout being very fine, it’s effective. His powerful lower body helps him.
Anthony Gordon’s ‘donut’.
His emergence as ‘9’ has caused his number of goals to increase… and his number of assists to decrease. Gordon’s profile as a ‘9’ is very different from the one he manifests as a winger. It is not a ‘target man’a man of reference. The aerial game, in fact, is one of its gaps. He is an attacker very mobile, with the ability to infiltrate between the lines. Unlike when he acts as an extreme, try to play with 1-2 touches. He goes down to receive trying to take out his position marker and then ‘kill’ him with another of his great weapons: the breaking unmark.
The touch map by Anthony Gordon.
On the wing he usually receives the foot, but as a striker, whenever he can, ‘smells’ blood when attacking the defense’s back. His top speed is key in this sense. Gordon is one of the players who more ‘sprints’ and more distance at high intensity runs in the Premier League.
He is not an area finisher nor does he have Rashford’s ‘gun’. He feels more comfortable as a winger, with the goal facing him. There he does not hesitate to try his luck with medium distance shots, especially with his right leg. With the left foot it is not so lavish.
Anthony Gordon’s driving volume.
Penalty taker in it Newcastle, the advantages it generates are usually accompanied by breakaways or quick transitions. With spaces he feels comfortable falling to both profiles. In left his shot explodes long stick and for right resolves simply, naturally, with a cross pass or looking for the ‘death pass’, inheritance of its beginnings thrown to the right side.
One of the aspects that Barcelona have also valued is his defensive capacity. In this sense, Gordon does not stand out for his contribution in a medium-low bowl, where it tends to ‘deactivate’. On the other hand, it has demonstrated a great value in ‘counterpressure’. Most of his thefts/recoveries are registered in the last third of the field. This is how the ‘joker’ (wild card) that Barcelona has signed plays.
