Anthony Gordon elation as England reality now unfolds | OneFootball

Anthony Gordon was back at Newcastle United’s training ground early this week, putting out photos on his social media and a message saying he was glad to be ‘back’.

The 23 year old having been given an extended period of leave after international duties this summer.

On Wednesday, I have no doubt he was feeling an extra level of elation and dancing around his house when he heard the latest breaking news.

BBC Sport, Sky Sports, all across the media, reporting that Lee Carsley is going to be the interim England manager.

Which to me basically means that if he doesn’t mess up the two Nations League games in September, away against Republic of Ireland and home to Finland, he will for sure get the job permanently.

Gareth Southgate got the main job after having been promoted from the under 21s, Lee Carsley the big bookies favourite now to do the same.

After the shocking treatment dealt out on him by Southgate, this will be music to Anthony Gordon’s ears.

Lee Carsley oversaw a stunning success last summer, England winning the Under 21 Euros.

England won all six games, scoring eleven goals and not conceding a single one, as they went all the way and as well as beating the likes of Portugal and Germany, they defeated Spain in the final, how appropriate…

Southgate wasted the talent at his disposal this summer with clueless tactics and team selections and negative boring football, against poor to mediocre opposition, until Spain easily beat them with Southgate’s tactics ensuring that.

However, Lee Carsley was in sharp contrast to that and his bright attacking intelligent set-ups saw England dominate the opposition in most matches and control games, dominant at both ends of the pitch.

Carsley potentially set to show with the senior England side that he is one of those who wasn’t the most talented football player, but who may well prove a very good surprise intelligent manager.

Key to that England Under 21 Euros triumph was Anthony Gordon.

He started five of the matches and came off the bench for the third group match, having been rested along with many other usual starters, as England already through to the quarter-finals, where Gordon scored the only goal of the game.

Eddie Howe has also shown how versatile Anthony Gordon is and as well as his usual left side position, he can excel as well playing on the right or through the middle.

During last summer’s Under 21 Euros tournament, Lee Carsley was bizarrely forced by the media to defend and explain his (successful!) tactics and team selections, as Anthony Gordon was used as the main striker throughout the competition.

In the opening two group matches at the finals of the Under 21 Euros in June 2023, Gordon got an assist against the Czech Republic and scored against Israel, yet still Lee Carsley having to spell it out to the clueless media…

“We have tried to come up with two or three ways of exploiting the opposition.

“We will try and find gaps and spaces.

“It surprises me that there is surprise at my team selections.

“The players nowadays are multi-functional.

“I see that we have got a lot of players [such as Anthony Gordon] within this squad that can do different roles.

“Part of the squad selection was having that flexibility to play with a different kind of nine (striker).

“I see pretty much any of the forward players, whether they are wide players or forwards, being able to do that nine.

“You get a different type of nine with Anthony Gordon than you would with Cole Palmer or Curtis Jones or Emile Smith Rowe.

“We have got plenty of options.”

How refreshing to hear a manager who has his own intelligent ideas and has been successful putting them into practice, compared to the Southgate shambles that massively depends on luck against poor and average teams, stumbling along with the same old negative tactics and team selections.

I have this sneaking feeling that Lee Carsley is going to make England not just watchable, but actually an exciting team to watch, playing attacking football with progressive tactics and set-up.

One thing for sure as well, is that Anthony Gordon will now get a fair crack of the whip at last at international level, with a new England manager who understands and appreciates him.