Moore the merrier as striker shows he’s not out of his depth
HERE are the main talking points from Wales’ 1-1 draw with Slovakia at the Anton Malatinsky Stadium.
The bold selection that paid off
Many eyebrows were raised when the news filtered through that Kieffer Moore was set to lead the line for Wales in Trnava.
The Wigan striker is yet to score for his club this season but showed encouraging signs on his international debut in the 1-0 friendly win over Belarus at Cardiff City Stadium last month.
And Ryan Giggs had clearly seen enough from the towering forward in training to feel confident enough to throw the former lifeguard in at the deep end against Slovakia.
Moore wasted no time in proving his worth by winning a string of aerial duels early on to help bring the likes of Jonny Williams, Gareth Bale and Daniel James into play. He was left battered bruised as a result of his efforts on what was his first competitive start for his country, but Moore delivered the goods when it mattered, heading home James’ cross in the 25th minute to send the 2,100 members of the Red Wall packed into the away end into raptures.
“Kieffer was a handful all night, he gives us that different option and getting the goal is a massive plus,” said Giggs.
“I said we need to be more ruthless when we get into those crossing positions, we need someone on the end of them to put them in, so I’m really pleased with the goal.”
Hennessey shows no signs of rustiness Wayne Hennessey is yet to play in the Premier League this season, with his sole appearance for Crystal Palace this term coming in the Carabao Cup.
But the goalkeeper showed no signs of rustiness in the draw against Slovakia.
He made comfortable saves to deny David Hancko and Robert Mak in the opening half.
And it was a sublime one-handed save from Albert Rusnak’s low, driven shot just after the hour mark that really caught the eye. It came at a time where Wales were under the cosh after Juraj Kucka had volleyed home a spectacular equaliser, and it could be a stop that goes a long way to seeing Giggs’ men qualify for Euro 2020.
“Slovakia scored the goal and then you have to weather the storm, and Wayne makes a fantastic save,” was Giggs’ assessment of Slovakia’s purple patch.
At a time where Adam Davies and Danny Ward are also struggling for game time, Giggs has repeatedly stated that he has concerns over the No.1 position.
But Hennessey once again showed he can be relied upon when needed. More of the same will be required against Luka Modric and Co. tomorrow when Croatia visit the Welsh capital (kick-off 7.45pm).
The selection concerns
Giggs is likely to make a few changes from the team that started against Pavel Hapal’s side for the weekend’s huge encounter with Croatia.
The back four and goalkeeper could well stay the same, although Ashley Williams is primed to spring into action if necessary.
But further up the pitch, Giggs has some big calls to make. Ethan Ampadu is yet to play for new club RB Leipzig, with his only action in the 2019/20 campaign coming in the red of Wales.
He was withdrawn in the 57th minute of the game at the Anton Malatinsky Stadium, and Giggs admitted the three-day turnaround may be too quick for Ampadu
to feature again. Then there’s the small matter of Aaron Ramsey’s fitness.
The Juventus man hasn’t played in any of Wales’ qualifying matches in 2019, with his last appearance on the international stage coming against Albania in November.
He remained in Cardiff this week in a bid to regain fitness for the Croatia match, and there’s no doubt that the 28-year-old will come straight into the line-up to face the 2018 World Cup finalists this weekend if fully fit.
Harry Wilson and Tom Lawrence will both be pushing for starts having been left out of the starting XI in Slovakia.
Signs of a game plan
Fans were left frustrated after the 2-1 win over Azerbaijan in September, with many stating they couldn’t figure out where Giggs was trying to take the current crop.
But after going with an out-and-out striker in his preferred 4-2-3-1 system, supporters were left encouraged at Wales’ style of play in Trnava.
Despite having just 30% of possession, the visitors managed 15 shots at goal, two more than the hosts. Six of those were on target, again, two more than Slovakia managed.
They looked solid defensively too, with Tom Lockyer partnering Joe Rodon at the heart of the back four for the first time. And Giggs himself said he felt Wales moved forward with their showing in Trnava.
When asked if he felt his side had shown signs of progress, Giggs said: “I do. It’s never easy away from home and it’s always fine margins.
“The two away games were difficult in the summer, it was fine margins in both games. Against Croatia we rode our luck a little bit but in the end we could have nicked a draw. It was the same in Hungary as well.
“It’s always fine margins, in this group especially. The three teams below Croatia are competitive.
“It’s about taking chances and being competitive on the night. I do think we took a step forward, especially defensively. We can always keep the ball better – when we do that we create chances and we get our good players on the ball.”