Not much to say about the first game at Cardiff Stadium to be played in front of a crowd for just over fifteen months really as Wales and Albania played out a fairly predictable 0-0 draw this evening in front of an estimated four thousand.
I say fairly predictable, because this was the equivalent of an international last pre season friendly before the proper stuff starts with an emphasis on getting minutes in for players such as Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen and Ben Davies, three of not too many in this squad who can say been there and done it when it comes to Euro finals.
There were also ninety minutes for Rhys Norrington Davies, Wayne Hennessy and Dylan Levitt all of whom are not likely to feature in Robert Page’s A team so to speak in the coming games. Maybe I’m misjudging things there when it comes to the second named, but it’s hard to see Danny Ward missing out after he played so well in midweek against France, while the last named, who I’ve been judging very lucky to have beaten off competition from Will Vaulks and Josh Sheehan for a midfield place, turned in what I’d regard as comfortably his best performance for his country so far.
Wales, with Ramsey playing as a false number nine as, once again, Page left Keiffer Moore out of his starting line up, were second best in the opening forty five minutes with only Rambo’s near post flick high and wide from a good David Brooks cross qualifying as a goal attempt. A feisty Albanian team meant that, just as against Mexico in March, this was no gentle stroll of a friendly – there were seven bookings in all and there could have been more.
Albania’s aggression also manifested itself in their pressing game which ensured that most of the play was in the Welsh half, not that this meant Wales’ goal was under siege- Albania only had two goal attempts in the ninety minutes, neither of which were on target, although Manaj wasted the best chance of the game when he fired wastefully over the top following a slip by Chris Mepham who I’m afraid is not the player he was a year or two ago.
A rusty looking Ethan Ampadu, missing from the squad in France, only lasted forty five minutes this time before making way for Moore.
The Welsh improvement in the second half cannot be put down solely to the City striker, but, once again, it did leave a feeling that, for all of Rob Page’s reluctance to include Moore in his starting eleven, the team looks better with him in it and his team mates are more effective in an attacking sense when he’s there.
That’s not to say Wales were unlucky not to win – chances were at a premium, but at least there was some fluency and urgency as Albania at least had to show the quality of defending that had given them clean sheets in their six previous away matches.
Ramsey, happier in a deeper role, and Levitt showed they had the passes to open up a massed defence, but, too often, the final ball or cross was found to be lacking – as was the case with most of the not too many attacking dead ball opportunities we had.
Nero Williams, cleared to play despite his ridiculous red card in France, forced visiting keeper Selmani into his most difficult save with a twenty five yarder and a minute later Moore glanced a header from a brilliant cross by sub Gareth Bale into the keeper’s hands from about fifteen yards out.
There were a fair few nearly moments for Wales as they searched for the winning goal they have usually found in the closing stages of matches lately, but not this time.
Back in 2016, my pre tournament hope was that we’d at least manage to score a goal. That proved to be a serious under estimation of our capabilities and so I’m keeping quiet about our prospects this time despite us being in what looks a more difficult group than five years ago, but what I would say is that, despite what strikes me as far more attacking talent than in 2016, we are overly reliant on our excellent goals against record to get us results – we find goalscoring a lot more difficult than we should do.
There was also a disappointing 0-0 draw at Llanelli on Friday as Wales began their latest Euro Under 21 qualifying campaign by dropping points against a Moldova side that you would have thought they would have had to beat if they were to make any sort of meaningful impact in the group.
I didn’t see the match, so I cannot be too critical, but, in a week of woeful refereeing decisions, it would appear that there was another one when the Maltese referee turned down strong Welsh claims for a penalty, judging that the already booked Sion Spence was guilty of diving – thereby leading to a situation whereby the ex City player was shown a red card as he was carried off on a stretcher!
