MOORE THAN JUST A SCORING THREAT
PAGE HAILS STRIKER
WALES are ready to unleash powerhouse Kieffer Moore on the Czech Republic – at both ends of the park.
The Cardiff City striker fired himself into contention to start tomorrow’s crunch World Cup qualifier with a beautifully taken strike in a feisty friendly win over Mexico on Saturday.
Wales caretaker manager Rob Page admitted he can be a vital weapon, not just as an attacking threat but also as a way of combating the significant aerial danger posed by the visitors’ West Ham ace Tomas Soucek.
Asked if it would be hard to leave Moore out, Page, who continues to shine as he deputises for the absent Ryan Giggs, said: “Yes, absolutely. Kieffer is scoring goals and you take note of it.
“He’s a different type of threat. I thought he was excellent here. He didn’t get a lot of protection – Mexico were physical and he had a sitting midfielder in front of him making life difficult. But he competed really well.
“Competition for places is what you want as a manager. It’s refreshing to have it.”
As for 6ft 5in Moore adding extra height to a Welsh defence facing the equally-towering Soucek, Page admitted: “Of course, that’s something we do look into from a defensive point of view.
“Kieffer is a big asset to have in our team. There will be many reasons why we pick a team on Tuesday and we take all those factors into account.”
Beating Mexico, currently ninth in FIFA’s rankings, was a major boost for Wales after their 3-1 defeat by Belgium.
Having made 11 changes, it underlined that, even without men such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, Page has a formidable unit.
“It’s horses for courses – but we have strength in depth now and other players scoring goals,” he added after his third win in five games as interim boss.
The Czechs’ 1-1 home draw against Belgium on Saturday gives Wales more belief they can qualify for Qatar 2022 automatically as group winners.
“It’s a great result. The perfect result for us,” said Page.
“But we’d be going into Tuesday’s game wanting to get the win, irrespective of other results. Our approach doesn’t change.”
❏POLICE are investigating online racist attacks aimed at Wales youngsters Rabbi Matondo and Ben Cabango after the match. The Stoke winger and Swansea defender, both 20, were targeted on Instagram.