FOOTBALL
Alli believes England can be the best in the world
Fifth-ranked England are "heading in the right direction" to be the world's best, according to Dele Alli.
Dele Alli believes England are on track to become the best team in the world as they look to climb the FIFA rankings.
Gareth Southgate's Three Lions enjoyed an outstanding 2018, reaching the World Cup semi-finals in Russia and then booking their place in the upcoming Nations League Finals.
England enjoyed landmark wins over Spain and Croatia along the way, with the team up to fifth in the global standings before the latest round of fixtures.
Alli and Co are targeting Belgium's number one spot, though, and the Tottenham midfielder says there is no lack of belief in the England camp.
"We want to be the number one team in the world," Alli said, as reported by The Mirror. "To do that, you have to be at it in every game and, when you come away, you have to prove yourself every time.
"We definitely believe we can be the best in the world. Obviously everyone will have their opinions, but the work we've been putting in is to achieve that.
"We know there's a long way to go, a lot of work to be done, but we feel we are definitely heading in the right direction."
England would take a big step towards that target if they were to win the Nations League at the end of the season - and Alli is relishing the opportunity.
"The Nations League tournament has had some unbelievable teams in it," he said. "Look at our group [with Spain and Croatia] and see how tough it was.
"It's exciting for us to try to win another trophy. We're looking forward to it. We'll prepare properly, focus on the Euro 2020 games first and then obviously, when the time comes, prepare as well as we can for the Nations League.
"But we've proven so far since Gareth came in that we can beat the top sides and everyone can see the direction we're heading in, which is exciting.
"We had a great World Cup but it was important to show with the results after that it was not just a one-off. We are a good team, I think we've shown that, and we have beaten some good teams.
"We need to keep challenging ourselves. We can't stop now and I think the gaffer definitely won't let that happen."