ANTHONY GORDON REVEALS ENGLAND INJURY THEORY — “PLAYING IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE CAN BE A LOT TOUGHER ON THE BODY”
Anthony Gordon believes England’s Premier League stars face a physical demand that could help explain why so many have recently dropped out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
Five players have withdrawn from the latest England group because of injury, reigniting familiar concerns over the workload facing the national team’s core of Premier League players.
And Gordon, who now plays for Barcelona in La Liga, believes the intensity of English football could be a major factor.
“In England, every game is as hard as the next,” Gordon said.
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“Playing Arsenal is the same as playing a newly promoted side. That’s the difficulty of the Premier League. Every game is so intense. Everyone can win a game.”
He pointed to Hull’s unbeaten start before their meeting with Newcastle as an example of how demanding the league can be.
“Hull were unbeaten until they played Newcastle,” Gordon said.
“I think for the English players playing in the Premier League, it can be a lot tougher on the body than it can be playing elsewhere.”
Gordon’s comments come after a number of withdrawals from Tuchel’s latest England squad, with the physical demands placed on players continuing to be a major talking point ahead of international tournaments.
The 25-year-old is also now able to compare the Premier League with life in Spain, having moved to Barcelona.
And while Gordon believes Harry Kane has benefited from the Bundesliga’s less strenuous demands, he also sees the England captain facing a major battle for this year’s Ballon d’Or.
For Gordon, the other leading contender is someone he knows particularly well — Barcelona team-mate Lamine Yamal.
But the England forward has no intention of simply watching the race from the outside.
Gordon admitted he has dreamed of winning the Ballon d’Or since childhood and believes there should be no ceiling on his ambitions.
“Absolutely. I’ve always dreamt of that since I was a kid. I’ve never had a limit on what I can do in life,” he said.
“I’m trying to do everything I can to be the best player I can be. And hopefully I get a lot of luck and then we’ll see.”
Away from the pitch, Gordon is documenting that journey in a diary, writing down his thoughts so he can look back on them years later and eventually share them with his children.
One entry proved particularly difficult.
After England’s World Cup semi-final defeat in the summer, Gordon was left struggling to put his emotions into words after scoring England’s opening goal before being substituted and watching his team-mates surrender the lead late on.
“I did not know what to write,” he admitted.
“I wrote down just pure emotion. It was a good few pages, I will tell you that.”
From Premier League injuries to Ballon d’Or ambitions, Gordon’s reflections offer a glimpse into how the Barcelona forward is viewing both the physical demands of the game and where he ultimately wants his career to lead.
