If any more evidence was needed that the new Nations League format is a big improvement on what came before it, then it was provided yesterday in an uninspiring and embarrassing, for Wales anyway, encounter in Albania which saw the hosts triumph 1-0.
It’s probably not too strong to say that Ryan Giggs ends 2018 facing his first crisis as Wales manager. Four defeats in their last five matches have seen the feelgood factor present after the 4-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff just over two months ago disappear and be replaced by awkward questions for a manager who was never a universally popular choice to succeed Chris Coleman in the first place.
Giggs, like John Toshack before him, has been a great one for bringing young players into the senior squad when many would have considered them not ready for such a jump yet – Swansea Dan James and former Cardiff City youth player Rabbi Matondo (now at Manchester City) are the latest examples of that as they gained their first caps on a night when the older Kieron Freeman of Sheffield United and Dan Lawrence (Anderlecht) made senior debuts in their mid twenties.
The results while this was happening under Toshack were never very good, but there would be the occasional one along the way which hinted at better days to come and early signs are that we may be in for more of the same under Giggs.
Where I’d say the two generations differ is that Wales were a struggling team when Toshack began his revolution, whereas the same cannot really be argued with Giggs.
Whereas many senior players under Toshack decided to call it quits when it came to international football once they saw how the land lie with the man in charge, Wales under Giggs have a pretty sizable group of senior players who do not seem to be first choices any more yet still appear to be ready and willing to turn up for Welsh squads when selected – I’m thinking of the likes of Chris Gunter, Andy King, Sam Vokes and Joe Ledley here, but there are others besides them.
The fact of the matter is that there are members of the “golden generation” Toshack brought through who are now considered to be too old despite the fact that, in some cases, they are still in their twenties. Now, they are finding themselves sidelined by another richly promising group of youngsters who are all coming through together – Mepham, Connor Roberts, Smith, Ampadu, Brooks, Wilson, Lawrence, Woodburn, Tyler Roberts etc.
So, while Wales are a team in transition currently, their recent results beg the question is a transition necessary yet?
After all, for as long as I can remember, there have been studies made which show that, when it comes to winning major international tournaments, the figures indicate that it is teams with an average age of something like twenty seven or twenty eight (i.e. with a solid depth of experienced performers and “old hands”) that usually do the business – not that I envisage Wales winning the World Cup and/or European Championship any time soon!
This makes me think that Euro 2020 might well have been the selection if anyone was asked back in 2008 when Bale, Ramsey, Allen and the rest were coming through what tournament do you think represents the best chance of this generation of promising players attaining significant success on the international stage?
As it is, Wales head into qualifying for that tournament with serious doubts about the capability of the “golden generation” being able to make it to the Finals, let alone perform in a manner which justifies the lofty predictions which were being made on their behalf a decade ago.
Now, of course, I’m not forgetting that it was this generation which was the main reason why Wales were able to take part in their most successful finals tournament ever two and a half years ago as they ended Euro 2016 as one of the four best teams in that continent.
However, when you consider that all of the most significant players in that squad were in their mid twenties at the time, you would have hoped that those six matches in France were the start of a process, not the end of one.
You would have thought that a merging of the best we had to offer in 2016 and the best of the group Giggs is encouraging would result in a squad which could do well in eighteen months time, but we are too much like that young Toshack team at present. So, is Ryan Giggs expecting too much from the younger players coming through?
My answer to that question is perhaps he is. Sorry for that being so mealy mouthed, but while I feel that a case an be made for saying that inexperience has cost us dearly in both of our defeats in the past week, I feel that you need to look at the older players more for the reasons why we are struggling.
In my piece on the Denmark game, I singed out Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. Both came on as subs last night in the second half with the former having let it be known that he wanted to be present when Chris Gunter broke the appearance record for his country by winning his ninety third cap.
The fact that both of Wales’ biggest stars were still with the squad for a friendly in Albania and also got to see some game time reflects well on the two of them and is a reminder of the camaraderie which was seen to best effect in France in 2016.
However, rather like a cricket batsman who makes his name through his ability to play a certain shot well and then sees a strength turned into a weakness by canny opponents who feed his compulsive tendencies when it comes to playing that shot, is that close knit spirit among a particular age group in the squad now in danger of becoming a negative factor?
What I mean is that there could be a danger that meeting up with friends and team mates that you have enjoyed great success with could turn into something more like a “jolly” than a group of professionals coming together with the objective of doing well for their country?
Perhaps I’m getting this wrong, but it did occur to me when I contemplated a question as I watched us be second best to Denmark and then beaten by an Albania outfit we are more than good enough to turn over.
The question was why is it that none of our more experienced big name players are playing better in their late twenties (widely reckoned to be the age when they are at their peak) for their country than they were two, three or four years ago?
When was the last time Gareth Bale or Aaron Ramsey were able to influence an international match in the manner that they would do as a matter of course in say, 2014 and 2015? It’s not right either to just single out those two players, is there one of the Toshack generation who is playing better for Wales now than they were during and in the build up to Euro 2016?
Anyway, on to last night’s match which was certainly one Wales could and should have won. In truth they were unfortunate in many ways not to do so, but, in much the same way as I felt when I watched City lose at home to Burnley in late September, I find it hard to be sympathetic towards the team I was supporting.
In my opinion, Albania exploited a “homer’ ref who certainly did not treat both sides equally. The penalty by which the home side won the game was a very dubious one, but there was a certain naivety in the way Harry Wilson defended the situation and I feel there was too much of this element in our play over the past week – obviously, the youngsters are the first ones you look to here, but, again, I wouldn’t see the senior players were blameless in this regard either.
Wilson was then unfortunate when the referee ignored an obvious foul on him in the penalty area shortly afterwards – each of the replays I’ve seen of this incident only further indicates what an appalling non decision it was, but, then again, it looked a stonewaller when watching it for the first time.
By then Wales should have been up against ten men after Granit Xhaka’s brother, Taulant thrust his head into David Brooks’ face. The Welsh player was not entirely blameless in the incident, but what the Albanian did was the sort of thing that gets routinely punished by a red card usually – there was some talk in the television commentary of the game that the referee had decided not to send him off because it was a friendly, not a competitive, fixture which is a new one on me!
Before any of these, justified, Welsh gripes with the official though, Wales could have been well clear as they missed a succession of chances. Although not the only one, Sam Vokes was the biggest culprit here.
On Friday, I was shouting goal as Bale rose to complete what I thought was the simple task of nodding in a lovely Connor Roberts cross, but the ball went wide and a goal kick was given. Bale, however, had the excuse that the ref had missed the very good bit of Danish defending which deflected his header wide, Vokes could make no such claim when James’ best bit of play in what was a pretty low key debut presented him with a cross that was just crying out to be headed in – this is the facet of the game that Vokes is best at and yet he nodded over from six yards out.
A lovely ball by Brooks (again, one of not many candidates for his side’s man of the match) then presented the Burnley striker with a good opportunity that he put straight at the keeper from ten yards, but worst of all was the way he managed to divert a Tom Lockyer header into the goalie’s hands from a maximum of two yards out!
Again. an experienced player not doing what you would expect them to do – does the manager get the blame for that or do you, like I’m tending to do at the moment, give the boss the benefit of any doubt for now?
I’m not convinced by Ryan Giggs so far, but what I will say is that I thought his post match comments citing complacency and a lack of concentration in his team were spot on – he refused to blame the referee, stating, correctly, that his team should have been out of sight before any of the contentious decisions.
The one slight thing I disagree with Giggs about is where he says that he first felt his side would end up losing the match in the minutes just before half time – as someone who has far too much experience of watching a side I’m supporting lose such games, I started thinking we’re going to lose this about ten minutes before our manager did!
Finally on last night’s match, congratulations to Chris Gunter on his great achievement – he is rightly appreciated by Wales fans because, in essence, he is one himself – I hope he makes it to one hundred games for his country.
The Wales Under 19 side which beat San Marino yesterday to qualify for the Elite Round in the European Championship – City players Dan Griffiths and Sam Bowen are second and third from the left respectively in the front row.*
There was some good news for Welsh football fans though as our Under 19s took second place in a qualifying competition played in North Wales which saw them make it through to the Elite Round of the European Championships for the first time since 2014. This was achieved despite an unlucky 2-1 loss in their opening game with group winners Scotland, but then top seeds Sweden were beaten by the same score, which meant that they went into their final match with San Marino knowing that a win could see them qualify.
With Sweden only able to manage a 2-2 draw with the Scots, Wales made it through thanks to a 2-0 win over stubborn opponents that defended en masse. There were four City representatives in the squad after original selection Isaak Davies had to withdraw through injury – George Ratcliffe (the victim of a horrendous bobble which cost his team a goal against Scotland) played in the first two matches, as did Ryan Reynolds who captained the team on both occasions, Dan Griffiths started all three games, while Sam Bowen was a sub for the first two before getting his chance yesterday.
Bowen responded by getting the second goal against San Marino and will now return to City hoping to see us maintain our position at the top of the league a week on Saturday when the Academy team face Millwall after a long run of away games which has seen them on the road since September.
*picture courtesy of http://www.faw.cymru/en/
