England head coach, Gareth Southgate is reportedly targeting a top ranking spot for England and has challenged his players to the task.
The Three Lions play North Macedonia in their last Euro 2024 qualifying match on Monday. The Three Lions are presently ranked fourth in Fifa’s rankings.
A draw would ensure that England, who have already qualified for the tournament in Germany, will be among the top seeds.
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“If you’re going to be the top-ranked team, there’s no room for sloppiness or casualness,” said Southgate as reported by The Star.
“If we’re going to be a top team then the level of performance has got to be spot on every time.”
World Cup champions Argentina remain atop the standings, followed by France in second place and Brazil in third. England have been in the top five for five years running.
When the next update is released on November 30, the Three Lions might move up to third place in the globe, beating Brazil to the spot. Nonetheless, Southgate wants to make it to the peak.
“Am I driven by being ranked number one? Yes, because ultimately you achieve that through consistency and you’ve got to play well in the tournaments as well because the ranking points are higher in the tournaments,” said Southgate.
“With the games at the weekend, we might be ranked third in the world at the minute, but we’re two places off where we need to be so we can’t waste games.”
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Kieran Trippier will be absent for the injury-hit England side against North Macedonia due to a “personal matter”. Jarrod Bown also left camp on Sunday due to an injury.
This round of qualifying saw the withdrawal of seven players, including Jude Bellingham, Levi Colwill, James Maddison, Callum Wilson, and Lewis Dunk.
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