Barcelona vindicated for Marcus Rashford snub with Anthony Gordon ‘next level’ in one attribute

Anthony Gordon is a huge upgrade for Barcelona on Marcus Rashford in one crucial department.

That’s the assessment of European football expert Andy Brassell, reflecting on Gordon‘s highly productive start to life with the LaLiga champions.

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Gordon joined Barca from Newcastle in June, with the Blaugrana opting not to make Rashford‘s title-winning loan spell from Manchester United permanent.

And the 25-year-old is already thriving for Hansi Flick’s side, notching four assists in his first two games – including two in a 25-minute substitute appearance on his debut against Elche last month.

Gordon looks to be worth every penny of his £70m transfer fee so far, and Brassell puts him above Rashford in an area of key importance to Flick.

Gordon excels at ‘vital’ aspect of Barca’s game

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, he said: “It’s clear that Barcelona value not just technical excellence but being young and athletic as well.

“Hansi Flick values players being able to press and counter-press, and Gordon is absolutely great at that.

“I think he’s next level off the ball to what Rashford was.

“Because we think of Barcelona being on the ball all the time, I think sometimes we don’t really think about the off-the-ball part of it – but it’s actually really, really vital to what they do.

“It’s a really good start for him. He’s adapted really well so far, and I think the fact that he’s fully tried to immerse himself in Barcelona and LaLiga feels really good as well.”

Gordon right at home on the left

And Gordon might have a signing Barca didn’t make to thank for his strong start.

“What has obviously been a plus for him is the fact that they didn’t get Julian Alvarez [from Atletico Madrid],” Brassell continued.

“Because what it means is that Raphinha is the starting centre-forward at the moment – and whereas we’ve discussed the possibility that Anthony Gordon might be in there, what it’s meant for his first month or two at Barcelona is that he’s played in his natural role of left wing most of the time, because Raphinha hasn’t been there because he’s been playing as a centre-forward.

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“Whereas we thought Gordon might be a deluxe sub, the fact that Alvarez hasn’t got over the line has helped him enormously.

“He’s a better player than [fellow summer signing Karim] Adeyemi, I don’t have any doubt about that. But I think we’ve seen as well, not just stepping into what ostensibly is a left-wing role but into Raphinha’s old role is quite important, because Raphina got changed from an out-and-out winger into more of an inside left.

“And for that reason, Anthony Gordon gets to run more directly at defences, which is something he’s brilliant at as well.

“I think the second half of last season, when playing particularly in the European games as a centre-forward, was helpful to him.

“Nick Woltemade basically paid the bill for Anthony Gordon’s football development in the second half of last season. And it’s really worked; it’s really, really worked so far. I think he’s hugely improved from having better players around him as well.”

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With Gordon on top form right now, Brassell fully expects him to be one of Thomas Tuchel‘s go-to men in England‘s upcoming Nations League fixtures.

“It’s been a great start,” he summed up. “At this point, it would seem just unbelievable if he didn’t start for England going into these international games.”

Gordon stars as Barca make perfect start in bid to go back-to-back

Barcelona have made a storming start to their title defence, taking the maximum 12 points available and racking up 17 goals in the process.

Gordon has featured in all four games, adding to his assists tally in wins over Rayo Vallecano and Valencia to make him the leading provider in the Spanish top flight at this early stage of the campaign.

He’s one of just four players, among them Lionel Messi, to set up four goals in their first four matches of a LaLiga season.