"Pressure is a privilege." Anthony Gordon, the Pele of the Peloton, on mindset, technique and speeding bikes.

"I'm a nightmare to play against."

“Pressure defines who you can become.” This is a mantra that Anthony Gordon has been quoting to people around the England camp. It’s particularly pertinent given the criticism swirling around the squad. Gordon embraces it.

       He reads widely and deeply, and is an admirer of Tim Grover’s “Winning: The Unforgiving Race To Greatness”. Grover, the trainer to elite athletes like Michael Jordan, writes that “pressure is an opportunity to do more and be more. Don’t run from it. Run to it. It’s a gift.” Gordon loves the quote. “I’ve said that a lot on this camp to the staff when I’ve spoken about the media surrounding the team. Pressure is a privilege. Because it means people are expecting things from you, which in turn (means) they think you’re good at what you do.”

       The “pressure is a privilege” tenet is one that Grover shares with Dan Carter, the All Blacks legend whose “The Art of Winning” has become required reading amongst sportsmen and women. “I’m reading a book from Dan Carter at the minute. That’s a quote he uses, that’s been on my mind a lot.” Pressure is a privilege. It’s an elite challenge.

       Gordon is only 23 but with a ferocious hunger for self-improvement. Speaking after training at Blankenhain today, the Newcastle United winger nodded at mention of Grover’s quote about winning that “requires you to prove yourself every day, over and over and over. What you did yesterday, no one cares”.

       It defines his mindset, his understanding of the importance of relentlessness. “It’s very true,” Gordon said. It frees him from being held back by lingering frustration over past setbacks. So Tuesday’s disappointing draw with Slovenia was forgotten. “In the past game, we weren’t where we want to be. It’s gone, it’s in the past. That saying is exactly what it means. We’ve got a lot to look forward to. If we let the past games affect us we’re not going to perform the best we can.”

       It’s why he takes a positive slant on the negativity around performances. “If people are being negative it's only because they expect a lot from you, which is a positive thing. So if we want that to stop we just need to perform and give people what they want to see.” It’s all about performance. And the right mindset.

Gary Lineker’s criticism of the team didn’t affect him. “No, not me personally. I can’t speak for the other young players but I can speak on their personalities, which I see as very similar to mine. The young players in the squad have a fearlessness about them. We don’t really care about anything apart from performing and playing football. We’ve performed at a high level all year and that’s why we’re here so if we start worrying about things like that (Lineker’s criticism), we’re not going to do as well.” 

       Many supporters and observers would like the motivated Merseysider to be involved from the start against Slovakia. Gordon willingly listed his qualities, not in an arrogant way, more as a statement of facts. “My main strengths are I’m very direct, I’m obviously quick,” he replied. “I know I’m a nightmare for anyone that I play against. I’m positive. Every time I get the ball, I always try to make something happen. I’m not a very safe player, I’m always going for it. I’m always trying to put people on the back foot. With players we’ve got - the likes of H (Harry Kane), who likes to drop deep - I think I add a different element to the team.”

       This belief drives his approach to every day, and why he’s convinced that Southgate will inevitably pick him soon. “If I train to the very best of my ability, and do the best I can every day, that's my way of giving him a headache in terms of selection.”

       Gordon believes his direct style would be particularly useful against a low block. “It brings a sense of unpredictability. I win a lot of fouls and it can put teams on the back foot. I know how hard I am to play against, I can feel it. I know people don’t like playing against me.”

       And yet this positivity appears a contrast to another of Grover’s sayings that shape Gordon’s mindset. “Everything starts with doubt,” Grover writes. Yet Gordon himself is the epitome of confidence. “Everyone naturally doubts themselves to begin with,” he replies. “The key is noticing that and then find a way to switch it. I have zero doubts when it comes to playing football.

“It’s more before you get on the pitch where the doubt creeps in. The butterflies, the nerves, anyone who tells you that doesn’t happen is a liar. The best players can then be self-aware enough to know they’re feeling that and change it during the game.

       For someone so bright, he’s not immune to mistakes. Gordon videoed himself cycling at speed downhill near England’s training base. “It was a lovely day, I was going down a hill, trying to take a quick video for my family, just to show them what I was doing.” And he crashed. “The moral of the story is that we spend too much time on our phones these days. The moral of the story is to just enjoy the moment without a phone.”