Anthony Gordon on whether England became too defensive against Argentina, Gordon explained how the mentality that worked in earlier rounds carried into the semi-final:

“I think it’s really difficult because that same mentality was the reason we progressed through the previous two rounds. You almost carry on doing things that have worked, and it’s difficult in life to ever change something that’s working because why would you if you know something works? The Mexico game was by far the best experience I’ve ever had in my life, but I think that probably set us up in a way. The red card made us show a different side of us. We wasn’t so much the team that wanted to play anymore; we needed to really fight to get the victory, which we did. But then that probably became a bit too much for the next two games and ultimately didn’t work for us in the semi-final. There’s no telling that if we would have stayed with the four at the back, we still wouldn’t have lost that game. So I think, in hindsight, everything’s easier.”

I was actually surprised at how positive England played against Mexico. They were much more proactive than I thought they would play.

Anthony Gordon on what England should learn from the semi-final, Gordon contrasted Spain’s possession style with England’s ability to play physically, directly, and on the counterattack:

“I think now that we’ve had that experience, probably the next time we’re in that position we’ll go the other way. That’s why I said that scar doesn’t have to be a negative one, because it might lead us to victory in the next tournament. Culturally, it’s not just that tournament or that game where we couldn’t control a game. England as a nation, we don’t have that strength like the Spanish, where we control games like they do. It’s not in us. I’m not sure it’s something that can be taught, because now I think, playing in Spain, I can speak with an educated view on the way they keep the ball. It’s much different than I’ve ever experienced playing in this country. I’m not sure we can ever get that, but we can definitely get better or maybe go the other way and really play to our strengths, which is play physical, play direct football and on the counterattack. You can go either way, and there’s no perfect way to win a football match. It’ll be interesting to see what we do.”

Really really interesting insight from Gordon that he’s feeling now that he is playing for Barcelona.

Anthony Gordon on how he learned Spanish so quickly after moving to Spain, Gordon explained his self-study, professional lessons, and reluctance to give interviews before he can express himself properly:

“I used to learn Spanish when I was at Everton, just self-taught. It was always an ambition. I never had a teacher or anything. Over the past couple of months I’ve had teachers and I’m getting better. I can understand most Spanish and I can speak really well, but speaking Spanish and understanding Spanish are two different things. When they’re speaking at me really quick, sometimes I get a bit lost. I’ve been a bit hesitant to do the press conferences in Spanish just yet because I want to say exactly what I would say in English. I want to really mean what I say. I don’t want to get caught up in saying really basic interviews; that’s not the type of person I am. I don’t want to sound too robotic, so I want to wait until I’m really perfect in Spanish before I start.”

These players have Spanish speaking teammates. I get that it makes for fun banter online that a player is gettting Duolingo streaks over the winter break waiting for a transfer to another club, but learning several languages is a massive differentiator now for everyone.