England want to be the strongest team in Europe
He started Euro 2024 qualifying with two wins against Italy and Ukraine, with a squad consisting of many players in high form. Coach Southgate was impressed with Bukayo Saka when he contributed to both goals in the win over Ukraine. Saka's shot from nearly 25 meters into the goal is highly appreciated. "He has added this deadly weapon in the last 18 months. Right now Saka is very confident every time he shoots," said England coach.
Saka is the first player to score and assist with more than 10 times in the Premier League this season. Former England international Stuart Pearce thinks the rising star of Arsenal is worth watching the most of the season. "Saka is the most exciting British talent since Paul Gascoigne," added Pearce.
Saka or Jude Bellingham is the future of England, while captain Harry Kane is still at maturity. Southgate has set a goal for the players that England must be the strongest team in Europe for the next 13 months. "To do this, I need each player to work hard and respect every opponent," he added. "England's next two opponents don't have the same high FIFA status as the first two teams we met, but players can't be subjective."
He will play his next two matches against Malta and North Macedonia in June 2023. Group C has only five teams and if they finish in the top two, England will qualify for the fourth consecutive term. According to Gracenote's statistics, England is 98% likely to enter the final round. But their goal does not stop there, because the "Three Lions" have never won the Euro.
He has been to the Euro finals 10 times, five times in the qualifying round. Their best performance was the final in 2021, when they lost to Italy in a penalty shootout. Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Saka himself missed the penalty shootout, causing England to accept the runner-up position. Under Southgate, England always reached at least the quarterfinals of major tournaments. According to FIFA position, England is ranked fifth in the world and third in Europe after France and Belgium.
