Euro 2020 Preview - Wales

[Dave]

 Wales

Many of the stalwarts in that Euro 2016 team have now moved on and this is a completely different outfit.

 

Road to Euro 2021
Wales qualification campaign was often overlooked due to the media focus on Gareth Bale's off the field antics. Most people didn't recognise that they conceded the fewest number of goals in Group E. The only team capable of scoring more than one goal against them was World Cup finalists Croatia.

 

What to Expect
Wales preparation for this tournament has been affected somewhat by matters off the field, with Robert Page being placed in temporary charge since Ryan Giggs' arrest on suspicion of assault. Meanwhile, Jonathan Ford left his position as chief executive in March following a vote of no-confidence. It's definitely not been ideal preparation. 

Caretaker Manager Robert Page will be delighted with the timing of Mick McCarthy's arrival at Cardiff City as Wales biggest threat is their aerial dominance. A large number of Wales' goals recently have come from crosses in to the box. They have an abundance of creative talent and major aerial threats in Cardiff City's Keifer Moore and the likes of Chris Mepham from defence.

Possible Lineup
Robert Page will no doubt be frustrated at the lack of football Wayne Hennessey and Danny Ward have both had in the last three seasons. We fancy Danny Ward to get the nod ahead of Wayne Hennessey for this tournament following his brilliant performance in the World Cup qualifier against Czech Republic.

The back three seem most settled when it features Chris Mepham, Joe Rodon and Jamie Lawrence. We do however expect Ethan Ampadu to drop in to defence should Aaron Ramsey be able to prove his fitness to the tournament. Should this be the case, we imagine Ethan Ampadu will replace Jamie Lawrence.

The player we expect to see start alongside either Ampadu or Ramsey in midfield will be a shock to many. Luton Town's Joe Morrell has performed well when given opportunities in the national side and we expect him to be preferred to Euro 2016 hero Joe Allen.

At wing back, we fancy Connor Roberts and Ben Davies to get the nod ahead of Nico Williams and Rhys Norrington-Davies. Connor Roberts will no doubt be looking to impress Premier League suitors if Swansea City fail to get promotion from The Championship this season.

Further up the field we expect Harry Wilson, Gareth Bale and Daniel James to be included should everybody be fit. This is based purely on previous line ups over the course of the last two years. It would be no surprise however if David Brooks and Keifer Moore play influential roles in matches depending on the opposition they face during the tournament.

 

Key Player
He may not have played as much football as he would have expected too prior to this tournament but Gareth Bale still remains an integral player for this Wales team. Wales heavily relied on him at Euro 2016 but this tournament there's several players that have emerged to ease the workload off of him. Daniel James, Harry Wilson, David Brooks and Aaron Ramsey are capable of causing problems to any opposition which could help Gareth Bale thrive in a tournament it appears he's very much looking forward too.

Predictions
It looks like Wales will struggle to break down teams in this group. Robert Page will no doubt be hoping that his side can show the same character they demonstrated during the qualification process to give them a realistic opportunity of progressing in this tournament. The match against Turkey will be interesting given their similarities in playing style.

 

[Azeem]

I like this team

[Bluebird Hewitt]

This is going to be a very difficult group to get out of. The results against Turkey and Switzerland will be key, as I can't see us getting anything against Italy.