Dele: We’ve got the players and we’ve got the manager to become best team in world STAR’S STRIVING FOR GREAT THINGS Jesse: Let’s party again next summer
SKY SPORTS FOOTBALL, TODAY, KO 2PM
tough watch. Nobody was talking. But it definitely improved us and I think it helped everyone.
“We don’t look back on it with such anger now.”
Southgate has worked hard to instil the kind of belief that saw his young side build on a summer which had the nation falling back in love with the Three Lions.
A goalless draw with Croatia in Rijeka in October was encouraging and a 3-2 victory over Spain in Sevilla, a few days later, lifted England up to fifth place in the rankings.
Alli missed both games with a hamstring injury, but he has since committed himself to Spurs by signing a new deal to keep him at the club for another six years.
It’s clear he also has unfinished business, with games against Chelsea, Inter Milan and Arsenal approaching.
Alli said: “Obviously, everyone wants to win trophies – it hasn’t happened at Tottenham yet. “The manager (Mauricio Pochettino), the new stadium, the players you are playing with. I only see myself improving. It’s a place I want to be.
“We’re not perfect yet, we know we have still got things to improve and work on as a team.
“But I also think that we are not that far away from winning trophies.
“There are some tough fixtures ahead and we feel that we haven’t played as well as we can.
“But we have probably showed a different side to our game. We’ve been getting results and are close to challenging for trophies.” JESSE LINGARD wants to kick off another party summer – by taking the fizz out of Croatia today. The Manchester United star (left) knows the Nations League finals next June won’t quite rank alongside what happened in Russia in terms of their prestige. Lingard said: “We know what’s there for the taking, and we’ll have that in our mind. “Win the game and we’re in a semi-final. There’s not more motivation than that. We’ve learnt from the World Cup and we’re carrying on the momentum now. “We’re top-five in the world and, if we can go far in this competition, we’ll move up the ranking.
“We’ve learnt from the game against Croatia in the World Cup and put on a good performance over there, and hopefully we can do the same in this game.”
Lingard scored a beauty against the USA in the great Wayne Rooney send-off that was almost a carbon copy of the goal he scored against Panama at the World Cup.
Goals from Trent Alexanderarnold and debutant Callum Wilson also underlined the youth in Southgate’s squad.
Lingard added: “It’s a young environment and there’s a great hunger in the squad to play.”