Santi Denia praises Anthony Gordon after Czechia’s 2-0 Nations League defeat by England in Prague
After Czechia’s 2-0 Nations League defeat by England in Prague, coach Santi Denia praised Anthony Gordon, saying: “Gordon? What a player!” and adding: “What a footballer, my God. He’s at the same level as … I don’t know, I was going to say Lamine. Young, daring, one-on-one, speed.”
Denia, who spent 15 years working across Spain’s youth setup — coaching the under-15s, 17s, 19s, 21s and 23s — took the Czechia job after discussions at the World Cup in New Jersey where Spain beat Argentina; he says 23 of Spain’s 26 World Cup winners had come through teams he coached. He described a congested international schedule, noting “Four matches in 11 days, no time to train, for anything; I haven’t heard a single national coach say they like the new setup.”
At full-time in Prague Denia walked along the touchline, shook Thomas Tuchel’s hand and exchanged the words “See you soon.” The coaches are due to meet again seven days later at Wembley after their respective fixtures in Oviedo and Rijeka.
Denia expressed admiration for England’s player development and singled out Phil Foden as “differential”, saying the Football Association had invested in youth and infrastructures such as St George’s Park. He told reporters: “You’re this close to winning a World Cup,” gesturing a tiny gap between thumb and forefinger, and defended the FA’s long-term approach.
Asked about Anthony Gordon’s comments that England should not try to replicate Spain, Denia again praised the winger and urged learning from others rather than copying. “Look, every country has its essence, you have to respect that, embrace it. You also can’t change overnight; success isn’t immediate, it’s a process,” he said, adding that in his 15 years with the inferiores Spain had “developed, evolved, adapted.”
Denia reflected on his role in developing Spanish internationals, recalling players he coached such as Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Ferran Torres and saying he felt pride when they succeeded at senior level. He said only David Raya, Víctor Muñoz and Aymeric Laporte had not been through his teams and recounted sitting with David Gordo at the World Cup final and sharing a look that said: “We did our part.”
On his appointment to Czechia, Denia said it followed a conversation with Radek Bejbl and meetings with the federation president David Trunda and general manager Pavel Nedved in New York and Prague; Bejbl has since joined his staff and Pablo Amo is his assistant. He outlined plans to build a structure across departments — medical, media, marketing and travel — and said the federation and staff were focused on selecting the right players.
Denia said the immediate objective for his tenure is “qualification for the Euros” and confirmed the next high-profile fixture is England at Wembley in seven days.