WE HAVE 2020 VISION
Dele believes World Cup heroics proved England can go all the way on the road to the European Championship in two years’ time
DELE ALLI believes England’s World Cup heroes are ready to win the nation’s first trophy since 1966.
Midfielder Dele says reaching the semi-finals in Russia has only given Gareth Southgate’s men a taste for more as they begin the long road to Euro 2020. The World Cup brought the whole nation together, as England fell back in love with the beautiful game, while also giving the players new belief they can compete with the best. Tottenham star Dele said: “It’s a long way away, but our aim is to keep improving and be at our peak for that (Euro 2020). We’ve got to give ourselves the best possibility we can.
“We have to keep learning and improving in every game, and make sure we are ready for that time because it’s a big chance for us.
“After watching the way the whole country got together, and how much it meant to everyone when we made it to the semifinals of the World Cup, I can’t imagine what it would be like to win a major tournament with England.”
Speaking as Head & Shoulders announced a new two-year partnership with the Football Association, to become the Official Haircare partner of the England Men’s and Women’s Football Teams, Dele added: “I think we’ve definitely got the quality to win something and we can’t set any limits on what we can achieve.
“We feel like there are no limits – the only limit is what
We all feel like there are no limits.. everyone is hungry to win something
we put on ourselves, which we shouldn’t do, because we’ve got such great players.
“Everyone is hungry to win something and be recognised as one of the best teams in the world. We’ve just got to keep improving and, at the same time, not get carried away. We have our feet on the floor, keep grafting, keep working, and just try to be as good as we can.”
England’s World Cup campaign ended in semi-final heartbreak against Croatia, but not before it had united the whole country.
Now they begin their Nations League adventure by facing Spain at Wembley tomorrow, when it is likely to be a very different mood from recent times, when fed-up fans would throw paper aeroplanes in frustration.
The Three Lions’ World Cup stars can expect a heroic reception for their homecoming and Dele insists they must seize the moment and use the positive energy. “Sometimes it’s
been a difficult environment at Wembley,” he admitted.
“The fans have got behind us this time, it’s a completely different feeling to what happened after the Euros but, at the same time, we have to keep going and improving.
“But we didn’t win the World Cup, so we can’t stop there, and we need to keep moving forward as a team. It’s a good test for us.
“It was an amazing experience in Russia, it was like a family, we wanted to outdo what we had done in the past, and we wanted the fans to feel a part of it. Hopefully, we did that.
“I think, from watching the videos and everything from back home, it feels like the fans fell back in love with watching England again. We all loved playing and being a part of it as well.
“Everyone just got on, they made the environment comfortable for everyone. We were working hard and didn’t want to let each other down.
“When you’re out there, representing your country with your team-mates, it made it a really good experience.”