'I know I'm doing the right things': Anthony Gordon brushes off criticism as he faces media ahead of PSG clash
Eddie Howe was joined by Anthony Gordon on the stage as the Newcastle United duo faced the media's questions ahead of the Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
As is the tradition, a player joins the manager to face questions, and Howe brought along Mr Champions League himself, Anthony Gordon.
Only Killian Mbappe and Harry Kane have more Champions League goals than Anthony Gordon this season, which is a stark contrast to Gordon's form in the Premier League, where he has just two goals this season, both from the penalty spot.
Naturally, then, Gordon was asked about his form this season and how he deals with the criticism levelled at him.
Anthony Gordon gets a touch philosophical when addressing his critics
In fairness, Confucius Gordon gave a pretty good answer.
"I know I'm doing the right things every day. I try to do the right things whether I'm flying or not doing the best. I'm playing against right-backs who are elite themselves. They get paid quite well to stop me.
"Part of trying to be great is learning to take people's opinions. If you can't you can never be great."
Anthony Gordon highlights the difference between the Champions League and Premier League game styles
As a top-level professional, you have to have that self-belief, and you have to be able to ignore the dissenting voices or they will just chew you up and spit you out, so we like that Gordon clearly has the right attitude and wants to succeed.
Nobody within the club would ever question Gorodn's commitment, but fans will, and do, and we count ourselves in that.
The disparity between his performances in the Champions League versus the domestic competitions is a huge concern, but something Gordon said about the differences in how games are played in the Premier League versus the Champions League could also explain a lot.
"Teams in the Champions League are much more open and they all try to play. The Premier League is like a basketball game. It is more physical. The Champions League is more football based. The Premier League is more set-piece-based."
Clearly, Gorodn is more suited to playing against teams that play more open football. We know how much Newcastle struggles against teams who settle into a low block, so it's not just Gordon.
