Craig Bellamy has expressed growing confidence in Wales’ squad following the recent international break.
The former Welsh international believes that the team has the potential to bounce back stronger, emphasising the importance of experience in high-pressure tournaments.
We discuss Bellamy’s thoughts on the Wales squad and the significance of tournament experience in shaping the team’s future.
The former Welsh international believes that the team has the potential to bounce back stronger, emphasising the importance of experience in high-pressure tournaments.
We discuss Bellamy’s thoughts on the Wales squad and the significance of tournament experience in shaping the team’s future.
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00:00Now, Craig Bellamy has expressed growing confidence in Wales' squad following the recent international
00:08break. The former Welsh international believes that the team has the potential to bounce
00:13back stronger, emphasising the importance of experience in high-pressure tournaments.
00:19Bellamy highlighted that players that have been through tough international campaigns
00:23with Wales will be crucial to their success moving forward. Their tournament experience
00:29could make all the difference as the teams look to regroup and build towards future
00:33competitions. We discussed Bellamy's thoughts on the Wales' squad and the significance
00:39of tournament experience in shaping the team's future.
00:44So Rich, just looking at Welsh football and the current situation there now, Craig Bellamy
00:49has obviously come in with these huge ambitions. Just firstly on his sort of biggest changes
00:54since coming in. He's seemingly come into his side and refreshed them in such a short
00:59space of time, got his ideas across. It will obviously really be tested in the World Cup
01:04qualification stages. Those are the matches that you need to really knuckle down and show
01:10the world what you're all about. Away from the pitch as well, it just seems like Welsh
01:15football is now in a really good place and it's only took a year from failing to qualify
01:21for the last Euros under Rob Page and how disappointing that was and now it looks like
01:27the future is very bright.
01:30Yes, I suppose Wales are basically victims of their own success on the footballing side.
01:37The qualification for major tournaments is now kind of an expectation or certainly something
01:42that has to be considered every single campaign. You've got to put up a good fight. You've
01:47got to at least get into those play-off positions really. Wales have gone up in terms of seeding
01:51and they're a team that's second strongest really in the qualification group and you
01:56expect of that to finish second at the very least. Bellamy's given them that fresh impetus
02:02and desire. You're always going to get that with a managerial change. Obviously at international
02:07level you don't get as much of a managerial bounce because the camps are so far apart.
02:11The manager's not actually got boots on the ground every single day with these players.
02:16But Bellamy's influence has gone far beyond the national team. He's going to Welsh Premier
02:20matches. He's going to the Welsh Cup. He's checking out every level of the sport really.
02:26That was a criticism of Rob Page that he only really went to watch Cardiff and Swansea when
02:29it suited him and he wasn't going to these grassroots occasions. Bellamy's done that.
02:34He's playing an attractive brand of football. We've had six games under him, three wins,
02:39three draws. The wins have been spectacular, very free-flowing and exciting. The draws
02:45have been concerning, particularly the one against Iceland where we were 2-0 up. So nearly
02:50three that one away. Really, we were fortunate to get anything from that game. There's been
02:54two resilient performances against Turkey who were very, very good out for themselves.
02:59There is hope now going into this qualification campaign, but ultimately Nations League matches
03:04don't matter. We had a very good Nations League campaign. But if you're talking about a World
03:10Cup qualifier heritage, Kazakhstan at home and North Macedonia away, that really does
03:17set out your stall early on. That can make or break your entire campaign. That can kill it.
03:23If you don't win both those games, you could maybe get away with four points. But if you
03:27were to lose one of those games, that could be qualification over already after two matches.
03:32And you look back to that 2016 European Championship, Chris Coleman would have got
03:36sacked if we hadn't have beaten Andorra. We were losing 1-0 with 20 minutes left,
03:40win the game 2-1, everything changes. And you might have those sort of small margin moments
03:46in this qualification campaign as well. Bellamy's got a lot of goodwill. The fans are on his side.
03:52He's got that backing. It's not as toxic an environment as it felt with the fan base
03:56towards the end of Page's tenure. And yeah, it's a fresh start, a fresh chance.
04:02Players have an opportunity now to get their names in the team. A few injuries are going to
04:08be an issue, obviously, for Wales who have some key players for those upcoming fixtures. But
04:14there is a rejuvenation at the moment. And there's that fresh impetus and belief that's
04:18been lacking for a few years now. But ultimately, Bellamy is not taking over a team who are down on
04:24their luck and feel sorry for themselves. He's taking over a team who expect to qualify for a
04:28major tournament again. And like I said, there is now an expectation. And for as much goodwill as he
04:34has with the fans now, and as much as they're behind him, as much as they loved him as a player,
04:39if you don't deliver as a manager, it could tarnish your reputation.
04:44you