Anthony Gordon has reflected on the differences in Premier League football since swapping Newcastle United for Barcelona in the summer.
Anthony Gordon namechecked Newcastle United when discussing the intensity and difficulty of Premier League football.
The England winger left the Magpies to join Barcelona for £70million at the start of the summer before taking part in the 2026 World Cup.
But ahead of facing World Cup winners Spain and some of his Barcelona teammates on Saturday, the former Newcastle star feels Premier League players are at a disadvantage as far as international tournaments are concerned.
Anthony Gordon had given England the lead (Bradley Collyer/PA)placeholder image
Anthony Gordon had given England the lead (Bradley Collyer/PA)
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“I think that would probably be a fact,” he said. “I don’t know the stats, but I think for sure because in England, I’m not saying there is an easy game in any other leagues, but every game is as hard as the next.
“Playing Arsenal is the same as playing a newly-promoted side. That’s the difficulty of the Premier League. Every game is so intense. Anyone can win a game.”
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Gordon sat out Newcastle’s final six games of the Premier League season but enjoyed a strong tournament with England on an individual level, scoring the opener in the World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.
An inquest into the defeat focused on England’s inability to control matches and keep the ball in the same way Spain did masterfully throughout the tournament.
And reflecting on the difficulty of Premier League football, Gordon namechecked Newcastle and their recent 2-1 win over Hull City.
“I think Hull, a newly-promoted team, were unbeaten until they played Newcastle,” he added. “So that shows the strength of the Premier League, the strength of the English game, and I think for the English players playing in the Premier League, it would be a lot tougher on the body than players elsewhere.”
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Anthony Gordon’s start at Barcelona
Barcelona have enjoyed a rampant start to the season with eight wins out of eight and a remarkable 36 goals scored. While Gordon has contributed with five assists already, he is still yet to score his first goal.
And given how prolific Barcelona have been in scoring at the start of the season, Gordon’s lack of goals hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Barca’s official social media accounts also recently made a post in support of Gordon, stating: “The goal will come, Anthony.”
Gordon also had to be patient to score his first Newcastle goal, which came 16 games into his time at the club in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea. The winger ended up leaving Tyneside with 39 goals in 152 appearances for the Magpies.