SAINT PETERSBURG: England could finish third in the World Cup with a victory over Belgium in Saturday’s playoff but manager Gareth Southgate believes they are not yet amongst the elite teams in international football.
England are currently ranked joint 12th in the official FIFA rankings alongside Denmark but their run in Russia should see that position improve. “I expect we’ll be back in the top ten when the rankings come out. That’s probably where we are,” Southgate told a news conference on Friday.” “We’re a bit outside the top five but competitive against those teams,” he added.
Germany, Brazil, Belgium, Portugal and Argentina currently occupy the top five slots in the rankings but Southgate said that the pressure is now on England to rise up to the very top. “We’re here to try and improve every time we play, every time we go into a tournament.” Added the England coach. (Reuters)
