Anthony Gordon says England should stop trying to copy Spain’s possession-based style and instead focus on their own strengths. Speaking before England’s match against Spain, he argued that controlling games in the Spanish manner is not part of the English “DNA”, while the painful World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina could motivate the team to adopt a more authentic approach.

Gordon, who scored and provided four assists during England’s tournament, was substituted after putting them ahead against Argentina, before the team conceded twice and lost 2-1. He believes his experience at Barcelona has shown him that Spanish players are naturally suited to intricate possession football, whereas England have different qualities; Spain dominated 65% of the ball in their World Cup final victory over Argentina. Gordon joined Barcelona from Newcastle for £69.3m in the summer.