The in-form Anthony Gordon: a confident player or a confidence player?
England winger has self-belief yet also admits a bit "paranoid" at times
What makes an elite footballer tick? Belief shaped by utter conviction in ability? That’s Harry Kane. Drive fuelled by insecurity and a need to prove yourself in a realm full of rivals? That’s many players. It was fascinating being at St George’s Park yesterday and listening to the Newcastle United and England winger, Anthony Gordon, one of the more thoughtful squad members, give insight into a leading player’s mindset. It’s a mix of being “confident” and, to use his word, “paranoid”. Negatives can prove positives.
What Gordon ultimately outlined was the difference between being a confident player and a confidence player. It was a debate that should be relayed down the corridor at the National Football Centre in England age-group meetings. Gordon is probably Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice left-winger, although closely pushed by the revived Marcus Rashford, and his story and journey are worth following.
Asked to list his strengths, Gordon didn’t hold back. “My pace, my intensity,” he began, adding, “I try and give everything every time I play, and be a standard-bearer really for the intensity and really set the team off in presses, then try and play aggressively. I feel that’s the style people like to watch. It’s entertaining.” So far, so confident.
Gordon then got into specifics of this confidence. He was initially rejected by both Liverpool and Everton, partly because of his almost frail physique. He went to Whiston Juniors and toughened up physically and mentally. The school of hard knocks was his footballing education, having to stick up for himself on and off the pitch.
“I have a natural self-belief that comes from my background, where I’m from, it’s very testing,” Gordon told me. “You have to have a lot of self-belief to be successful from that area. Liverpool’s well-renowned for being a fighting city. It’s very testing in many different ways, and I’m very thankful it is, because it gives me that self-belief. People are always testing you and you have to back yourself in all situations.”