Gareth Southgate aims for top FIFA ranking: We strive for No.1

• Soccer

England manager Gareth Southgate is known for always demanding more from his team. Although many believe that this great manager sometimes "exaggerates" in his statements, the fact is that Southgate wants to see England as 1 on the FIFA ranking list.

The match against Malta was disappointing for England, although they won 2-0. Southgate wants his team to show much more. “I feel almost as if we’ve talked too much about the Euros already and I didn’t see our focus in the right place,” he said, as quoted by eurosport.com!

“I think talk of the summer was a distraction on Friday. We’ve got to play better than we did against Malta.
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.

If we’re going to be a top team, then the level of performance has got to be spot-on every time.
Am I driven by being ranked No. 1? Yes, because ultimately you achieve that through consistency. Also, it sets behaviours every day on the training pitch, off the training pitch."

Gareth Southgate on his team and Rico Lewis

Southgate believes that if his team wants to be the best, they must show their maximum in every match and achieve a convincing victory.

“If you are going to be the top-ranked team, there’s no room for sloppiness or casualness. That’s got to be our drive. Clearly the way we played against Malta isn’t the image we want to leave of ourselves”.

Rico Lewis could play in the position of left winger, given that his teammates are injured. Southgate has huge hopes for this young player of Manchester City who amazes with his qualities. “He’s played there a few times, he’s played everywhere for Man City,” Southgate said.
“I’m really pleased with how he’s trained”.