Souness: Gordon's poor performance raises doubts about Barcelona's £70m investment

Pundit Souness has written that after watching Gordon's conservative and subdued performance for England in the first two FIFA World Cup group stage matches, Barcelona cannot help but question whether this signing was worth the investment. He believes that if Gordon continues to play timidly and conservatively in Catalonia, he will struggle to establish himself at Barcelona long-term. Yamal will be the benchmark against which Gordon is measured, and Gordon's current performances fall far short of the expectations Barcelona and its supporters have for a winger. Souness also suggested that Rashford should start ahead of Gordon in England's match against Panama.

Souness's original text

I'd really like to know what the Barcelona executives are thinking right now. It's no exaggeration to say that after watching their new signing Gordon, the £70 million winger, play for England in the first two group stage matches, they must be wondering: was this signing really worth it?

If Gordon plays as conservatively and timidly at Barcelona as he did against Croatia and Ghana, he won't last long in Catalonia. To establish yourself at a world-class club like this, speaking Spanish is far from enough. I hope he takes a hard look at Spain's performance in this FIFA World Cup and understands what challenges await him.

Gordon has entered a completely different playing environment, far beyond what he's experienced before. When the new season begins, his performances on Barcelona's left wing will constantly be compared against the rapidly emerging young talent on the team's right wing.

Yamal is the benchmark for Barcelona wingers. Everyone saw his performance against Saudi Arabia: he forcibly beat defenders one-on-one and scored at the far post.

Everyone at Barcelona—from fans and media to players—will inevitably compare: "Yamal can perform like that, so why can't Gordon?" If you think people won't make such comparisons, you're just fooling yourself.

Spain's draw with Cape Verde was heavily criticized, but when Yamal returned against Saudi Arabia, the entire team went on the attack and took control of the tempo. In contrast, England's match against Ghana left me frustrated.

I expected much better from the team, but there's no excuse for that 0-0 draw—it was disappointing and frankly unwatchable. Gordon played poorly throughout, and Noni Madueke was also in terrible form. Has he really reached the standard required for England? He's nowhere near Saka's level.

I'm not blaming Gordon for all of England's problems, but he needs to step up, and he hasn't shown that yet. Rashford deserves to start ahead of him against Panama—Gordon is effectively Barcelona's replacement for Rashford.

Rashford, who came off the bench in the first two group stage matches, consistently created chances, which is precisely what frustrated me more. He's currently in transfer limbo, desperately trying to impress potential suitors, but he shouldn't need such external motivation to give his all.

Manchester United wanted to move him on back then, and he couldn't establish himself at Aston Villa. Even if he helped Barcelona win La Liga, the team wouldn't keep him. Rashford clearly has the potential of a top player, but he turns his form on and off selectively. At the highest level, you must maintain peak performance every single week.

After watching the match against Ghana, this assessment applies to England as a whole. Tuchel and Southgate made the same mistake: deploying two defensive midfielders simultaneously. Throughout the match, I barely saw Elliott Anderson or Rice deliver penetrating through balls behind the defense to Harry Kane.

The team's passing from back to front was all safe, conservative passes. Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi either passed sideways to the fullbacks or to Anderson and Rice. The game was tedious and predictable, lacking players willing to turn with the ball and disrupt the opponent's defense.

This England team lacks creative attacking talent like Morgan Gibbs-White, Cole Palmer, and Phil Foden. If the performance against Ghana represents the team's standard—Ghana's defenders had an easy time, with all attacks staying within their defensive shape—England supporters will eventually be bitterly disappointed.

Against top teams like France, Spain, Argentina, and Portugal, a compact defense and counter-attacking strategy makes sense, but this tournament also includes strong teams like Morocco, Norway, and Japan. If England continues with such passive possession play, they will inevitably be exploited and severely punished.

Against Panama, England only needs a win to secure first place in Group L, but the real test begins in the knockout stages, where they are likely to face Ecuador in the Round of 16. While seemingly manageable opponents, the reality may prove difficult, and England urgently needs to prove themselves with their performance.

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