Hansi Flick is a demanding, successful coach who doesn't often lose his cool, but his fury on Sunday evening was difficult to miss.
As Barcelona saw out a hard-fought 2-1 win against a characteristically stubborn Atletico Madrid side, Flick decided to freshen up his attack late on. Anthony Gordon’s number went up on the fourth official's board towards the end of the second half and the Englishman was spared the final few minutes.
Rather than sprinting off, the 25-year-old ambled towards the sideline at a leisurely pace. Flick, visibly enraged, began gesticulating frantically, shouting at the former Newcastle United winger to get off the pitch.
Anthony Gordon feels Hansi Flick's wrath
Flick’s anger was justified, though, both in terms of the individual match situation and the rulebook. In LaLiga, the Spanish federation (RFEF) strictly enforces IFAB’s Law 3, requiring substituted players to leave the pitch at the nearest exit point as quickly as possible.
Spanish officials have clamped down hard on dead time this season, meaning dawdling runs the needless risk of a booking for unsporting conduct.
But with Flick keen to see out the result, Gordon’s stroll ran the risk of Barcelona playing a man down at a crucial point in the game. Another of IFAB's rules states that if a player takes longer than 10 seconds to leave the field, the incoming substitute must wait.
Gordon did not take kindly to his manager's frustration, cutting a frustrated figure once he had eventually left the pitch.
The exchange captured the mood surrounding his start to life in Spain. Initial excitement has worn off, and been replaced by growing scepticism among supporters.
Catalan dailies Sport and Mundo Deportivo have both published critical assessments in recent weeks, openly questioning whether the former Everton man has the technical subtlety required for Spanish football. The recurring criticism in the local media is that Gordon is overly reliant on straight-line pace, struggling for solutions when confronted by opponents who sit deep and deny him space behind.
Supporters on social media have been similarly blunt. Compared to Lamine Yamal and Raphinha who regularly create danger in tight pockets, Gordon has on occasion looked isolated out wide, leading many Culers to question why the club spent heavily on an attacker whose skillset seems at odds with Barcelona's possession-heavy approach.
This will come with a sense of deja vu for Newcastle fans, who will recall the manner in which Gordon departed St James’ Park last season.
After his head was turned by interest from abroad in the spring, his sharpness and overall impact visibly dipped during the run-in. With his desire to leave made clear to the hierarchy, Eddie Howe ultimately took him out of the firing line, leaving him on the bench for the final weeks of the season. Newcastle and their supporters largely accepted the inevitability of the player's exit, and recouping £70 million for Gordon means there is an argument that the Tyneside club got the better end of the deal.
At Newcastle, Gordon had a tactical structure built around his relentless vertical running and pressing triggers, but at Spotify Camp Nou, the blueprint isn't being tailored to suit him. While Sunday’s flare-up with Flick was probably little more than a storm in a tea cup, it is a warning. Even though he has three goals and four assists in 15 outings for Barcelona so far, there is already a feeling - or perhaps even expectation - that he should be doing more.
