With the winning goal of Bell , "Red Dragon" Wales defeated Ukraine in the play-offs and returned to the World Cup stage after 64 years, becoming the team with the longest interval between the World Cup. Wales is one of the oldest teams in world football. Historically, he has world-class stars such as Alchez, Ian Rush, , and Giggs, but the team's record in international competitions is mediocre. Now the old Red Dragon Cannons led by Bell have finally realized their old dreams at the end of their peak period.
Welsh men's football team was founded in 1876. It is the third oldest national team in football after England and Scotland . In his early years, he won the championship 12 times before and after the British Local Four Corner Championship. The Welsh Football Association joined FIFA in 1910, but withdrew in 1928 due to a dispute, so it did not register for the first three World Cups. Wales returned to FIFA in 1946, and Welsh football also ushered in the early golden generation in the 1950s. At that time, the team included first-tier European stars such as Arcic, Cliff Jones and John Charles . Wales made its first World Cup match in 1958, but this advancement was dramatic.
958 Swedish World Cup European qualifiers, Wales was originally ranked second in the group, but The Second Middle East War broke out, and Egypt , Sudan and Indonesia boycotted the match against Israel . FIFA announced that Israel advanced, which means that Israel does not have to play a qualifier. Under pressure, FIFA had to add a playoffs and select the second place in Europe to participate. The highest pick Belgium refused to participate. Wales accepted the invitation and swept Israel 4-0 in two rounds and won a World Cup seat.
The subsequent World Cup Wales are remarkable. They are in the same group as host Sweden , Hungary and Mexico, and won three draws in the group stage and ranked second to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarter-finals, when the star John Charles was injured, he was eventually defeated by the 17-year-old Brazilian teenager Bailey , which was defeated by 1 goal. This was also the first goal of the king of football Pele in the World Cup.
was in full swing, and Wales football fell in full swing in the following decades, and the journey to the World Cup was not good. The qualifiers were always successful and failed, and there were many upset losses. For example, in the last round of the qualifiers in 1982, he lost to Iceland , and in 1994, he won first and then lost in the match against Romania . Until this qualifier, Wales, under the command of acting coach Robert Page, finally won the final ticket to Europe through the playoffs.
took the lead in the middle, acting coach three-pronged by
The coach of the Wales team was originally Manchester United star Giggs. Due to the domestic violence case, assistant coach Robert Page has taken over the team as the acting coach since November 2020. With his outstanding results, the 48-year-old Welsh coach was promoted to regular in June this year.
Robert Page has not rich coaching experience. He previously only led the team alone in Port Vier and Northampton in the low-level England. He briefly served as assistant coach for the Nottingham Forest in the English Championship in 2017. In the same year, he was invited to take over the Wales U17 youth team, and later served as assistant coach for the adult team in August 2019. He also publicly declared at English Championship that he did not like complex tactical designs, and the long pass rush of traditional English football is not out of date.
Of course, Peggy does not rely entirely on rushing. High-speed impact and wing attack are also his usual playing styles after taking charge of Wales. Thanks to the excellent scoring efficiency of No. 1 star Bale, Peggy's not complicated three-pronged axe also has a place to use, and often leads the team to win against the wind when the scene is passive.
has a clear length and a pause for the peak generation. The curtain call of the peak generation
Wales has ushered in the peak generation in the past 10 years. This team led by Bale and Ramsey ranked among the semi-finals of the European Cup in 2016.Time comes in 2022, and the veterans are in a decline. Bale went to the major league this summer, while Ramsey was terminated by Juventus and committed to Ligue 1 . Joe Allen, Hennessy and other famous players are also getting older. It can be foreseen that Qatar World Cup is likely to become the curtain call for these old people in the international competition.
Without injury, the former dual-core Bale and Ramsey will still be the backbone of the lineup. Bale still has the ability to score but his explosive power has declined, while Ramsey's control in the midfield has declined across the board. Since the qualifiers, Page has given more offensive tasks to the younger generation. Leeds United Daniel James and Nottingham Forest 221-year-old Super New Brennan Johnson can now form a double striker to attack the opponent's defense at high speed. In addition, high center forward Kiefer Moore, who is 195, can bear the heavy responsibility of rushing.
Wales' tactics can be high or fast, but the team's shortcomings are also obvious. The lineup has insufficient tacit understanding of the old and new lines, and the game control is limited. In the World and European qualifying group stages, which have many weak teams, the average ball possession rate is only 46%. Entering the A-level of the European League, it dropped directly to 38%. Facing a strong opponent, he can only defend against counterattack often "been pressed". He was shot 24 times against Ukraine in the playoffs, and he barely passed the score with 9 saves against the sky.
The group stage is full of hope for breaking through scattered battles and breaking through
This World Cup Wales is in Group B with England, the United States and Iran. Except for England, Wales' overall strength is between the United States and Iran, and the gap between the three teams is not too big. The first match between the United States will be the most important match for Wales, and this is also their biggest opponent to qualify. The American team has a very famous star, but its lineup is relatively young and has a slightly less experienced in the competition. After that, against Iran in Asia, if you want to qualify, you must get all 3 points. Wales is on the verge of qualifying in the group, and competing for second place in the group is the most realistic goal. Once the situation is chaotic, the probability of the "Red Dragon" taking the opportunity to break through is not small.
group stage schedule (Beijing time):
11-22 03:00 United States vs. Wales
1-25 18:00 Wales vs. Iran
1-30 03:00 Wales vs. England
