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Chris Byfield
FIFA have dealt England and blow hours before their Euro 2024 clash with Denmark.
Having kicked off their quest for continental glory with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Serbia, England take on Denmark at the Frankfurt Arena at 5pm on Thursday.
A win over the Danes, who drew their opener 1-1 with Slovenia, would see Southgate’s men secure their place through to the tournament’s knock-out stages with a game to spare.
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However, FIFA may have dealt the Three Lions a psychological blow just hours before the game, with the governing body having published their updated world rankings.
Indeed, England have dropped one place in the FIFA world rankings to fifth.
World champions Argentina remain in pole position ahead of France and Belgium, while Brazil have swapped places with the Three Lions and moved into fourth.
The top ten are completed by Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, Croatia and Italy.
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It’s unlikely Gareth Southgate’s men will be bothered by their slight drop in placing, with the England boss having stressed the importance of blocking out background noise while at major tournaments.
"There's no point having a rule because young men are going to use social media, in a positive way in the main," Southgate said. "They are going to search for things. When I was playing, we read newspapers. I don't do it.
"My world is a happier place if I shut myself off. It is not good from a global perspective because I haven't got a clue what's going on in politics or events elsewhere. But for the next month that is going to be a better place for me. So that helps me really keep on track. I think some of our players take a similar approach, others will definitely look at stuff.
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"There's more noise around a national team than there ever is around a club team. Millions of people in your own country, extensive media coverage, social media, one guy writing a comment on social media gets put in a newspaper now, that's a story. So it's a different world.
"Personally I accept that's how it is. It is not going to affect what I do. My job is to keep the players on track."
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Topics: England, Euro 2024, Denmark, Gareth Southgate
Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.
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