Coleman urges his Wales players to forget what they’ve already achieved and create some more golden memories
Chris Coleman has challenged Wales’ ‘Golden Generation’ to make more history in their pursuit of World Cup glory.
Second-placed Wales can still win Group D – and automatic qualification to next summer’s World Cup finals in Russia – if they overcome the Republic of Ireland and leaders Serbia fail to beat Georgia at home on the same evening.
But it is more likely that Wales and the Republic will be contesting second spot and the right to feature in next month’s play-offs. It is an opportunity that Wales manager Coleman does not intend to spurn as players who have long been labelled the ‘Golden Generation’ attempt to follow reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016 by securing the nation’s first appearance at a World Cup for 60 years.
“The players have proven this is a golden era,” Coleman said ahead of the Cardiff clash. “They were labelled the golden bunch of players before we qualified for the Euros. I fought against that because they hadn’t earned that tag, but they’ve earned that now. This group of players have made the difference.
“They’ve gone one step further than anyone else that has gone before them, but that’s in the past as well. Whatever we’ve done, we’ve done and it won’t help us on Monday. We can’t be thinking that we’ve done really well, it’s gone.
“But if we keep doing what we’ve been doing, that will give us a great chance of having a good night on Monday.”
Welsh fans have called on Coleman’s squad to rekindle the so-called ‘Spirit of 58’ ahead of their final group game. The
1958 tournament in Sweden was the only previous time that Wales have reached the World Cup finals, making it all the way to the quarter-finals before losing 1-0 to Brazil.
Coleman said: “1958 is nothing to do with this squad of players. You can look back and say, ‘We’ve never done this or never done that’. But it’s not these players, they weren’t involved in that.
“They haven’t been involved in every squad for the last 50 or 60 years.
“What they are doing is showing that this is their time and doing the best they can for the nation. They are doing a great job of that and will concentrate on affecting what is now, not what happened in the past.”
Wales will once again be without the injured Gareth Bale, who watched his team-mates train in Cardiff yesterday.
And coleman dismissed fear sofa grudge match after what happened when the two sides met in Dublin last March. Republic captain Seamus Coleman had his leg broken by a challenge from Wales defender Neil Taylor in the goalless draw and has not played football since.
“What happened to Seamus was unfortunate, but I don’t think it will have a bearing on this game,” Coleman said. “It will very be similar to the game in Dublin where two sets of committed players were locking horns.”
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’neill also touched on the Seamus Coleman incident in his media briefing, challenging his players to give the skipper a World Cup incentive as he moves closer to a comeback.
“I think the view among the players is that if Russia was available to us and we could make it there, Seamus would be very much at the forefronts of our minds,” said O’neill. “He is making a good recovery now... it would be nice if by the time he is back he has got something to cheer on the international level.”