Anthony Gordon starts this season after a difficult start Newcastle United through and is the great hope of the “Magpies“before the group game in the Champions League at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday (November 7th, 2023, from 6:35 p.m. in the Sportschau audio stream). According to his own statement, the Englishman’s own missteps helped him get this far.
Eddie Howe had to show a lot of patience. Between the signing of Anthony Gordon in January 2023 and his current strong performances there is a lot of (interpersonal) work and moments in which a lot of leniency was required from the Newcastle United coach. But it seems like Howe will be rewarded for it.
Dispute over substitution spurs relationship with Howe
The 45-year-old already predicted in April at a time when Gordon had already fallen from grace: “I know Anthony will be a top player for us in the future.“It didn’t look like that at the time. A few months earlier, the Magpies had acquired Gordon from FC for around 50 million euros Everton obliged, but there were hardly any good performances. And then there was this incident that made many suspect that Howe Gordonrelationship could no longer be good.
Newcastle coach Eddie Howe
In the league game against FC Brentford The offensive player was first brought on and then replaced again shortly before the end. Gordon’s reaction was correspondingly rude, including refusing to shake hands Howe, after he left the place. In retrospect, the Englishman calls this scene “another opportunity to learn something“as he wrote in the club magazine”United” explained recently.
“I’m still a young lad and I’m going to make mistakes. I apologized to the manager and he behaved excellently throughout the entire process” Gordon continued. “Our relationship is now better than ever, probably because of these things. We went through these experiences and got to where we are now.“
“I’m not afraid to make mistakes”
Gordon is definitely someone who can sometimes cause problems. The change after Newcastle He pushed this by going on strike at his former club Everton. In February he even faced a prison sentence for driving his car despite previously being banned from driving for six months. But Gordon admits that he makes mistakes. And he has figured out how to get the best out of them.
“I think to learn best you have to make mistakes. And I made a lot of mistakes last year” said Gordon. “I’m very open and I’m not afraid to make mistakes. I’m very happy to make them and learn from them. They helped me because I just stayed persistent.”
Gordon is also important as a fighter
In general, this persistence is a big theme with Gordon. “I’m not satisfied with being just average at something. I want to be the best at everything I do. It’s a good attitude, but I think it stresses the people around me“He said. In terms of his football development, his coach obviously sees it completely differently.”Anthony has a desire to improve, I see that every day in training. It’s great to see him being rewarded for that“Howe said.
Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon celebrates
Since this season, Gordon has been a regular player in Newcastle, with four goals and two assists in ten games, he has played a large part in the team’s success Premier League. But the statistics also show that Gordon is more than a good offensive player, he is also a fighter when it comes to football, and his defensive work is just as valuable as that on offense. An example: in the Premier League, Gordon has scored twelve goals in his career so far, but has seen 17 yellow cards. This season he was even suspended after his fifth warning.
Best player at the U21 European Championships – and then things went uphill
The fact that this season is going so well for him is also the result of the English U21 national team at the European Championships last summer. The “Three Lions“Not only did they win the title, but Gordon was also named the tournament’s best player.”This was a huge confidence boost for this summer because last year was obviously pretty difficult for me“, he said.
England’s Anthony Gordon (l.) and Curtis Jones (r.) pose with the U21 European Championship champion.
The reason it didn’t go well? “I would say last year was difficult because I had to suppress my ego quite a bit. People think ego is a bad thing, but that’s not the case. None of us reach this level without having an ego“, said Gordon, who can now combine his personal happiness very well with that of his team.
Don’t be afraid of big opponents
But Gordon wants to achieve two things as quickly as possible. The attacker has not yet been identified Gareth Southgate He was nominated for the senior national team and was able to play in the Champions League – apart from the strong performance against Paris St Germain (4:0) – not yet shining, not yet involved in a goal. Will that change in the game at Borussia Dortmund?
Last weekend, Gordon showed with his winning goal against Arsenal FC (1-0) that he is one for the big stage. “The fact that he is so fearless is one of his best qualities. I think he plays the game, he doesn’t play against the opponent” said Howe. Perhaps the time is over when Gordon himself was his greatest opponent.