England ambition is to be ranked No 1 in the world, says Gareth Southgate ahead of North Macedonia trip
England won Euro 2024 qualifying Group C and are set for Pot 1 in tournament draw; Southgate's side currently ranked fourth by FIFA; Monday's game at North Macedonia a dead rubber but chance for players to stake claim for place in Euros squad; follow live blog on Sky Sports website, App
Monday 20 November 2023 07:43, UK
Gareth Southgate says his ambition is for England to be ranked No 1 in the world.
His side looked a long way from that level during a laboured win over a Malta side who sit 171st in the standings at Wembley on Friday night.
However, the 2-0 victory meant England have won Euro 2024 qualifying Group C and are all but assured of a place in Pot 1 for the tournament draw next month.
Southgate is now calling on his side to raise their standards away to North Macedonia on Monday evening. It may be a dead rubber but the England boss wants to see consistent high-level performances for his team to be considered the best side on the planet.
«Qualification's done,» said Southgate, whose England team were ranked fourth in the latest edition of the FIFA standings.
1: Argentina
2: France
3: Brazil
4: England
5: Belgium
6: Portugal
7: Netherlands
8: Spain
9: Italy
10: Croatia
«Some of the players have got three games to get into a squad, some have got maybe three to get into a team, maybe a couple more if we're talking about the team.
»There's some things we'd like to see. But if we're going to be a top team, then the level of performance has got to be spot on every time."
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Euro 2024 qualifying tables
Euro 2024 qualifying fixtures
Asked if being No 1 drives him on, Southgate said: «Yeah, because ultimately you achieve that through
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