Coleman eyes ‘Battle of Britain’
WALES will try to tempt England into a Battle of Britain before Euro 16 should the two home nations avoid each other in the tournament draw.
Chris Coleman is eager for his Welsh side to face Roy Hodgson’s team before the competition — and would like to avoid them when the meaningful action kicks off.
Wales are yet to arrange any friendlies in the March international break but England have agreed games with Germany and Holland. There is another window at the end of May and the tournament starts on June 10. Coleman will invite Hodgson for a match then if they are kept apart at the group stage, drawn in Paris on December 12.
‘We’d absolutely love to play England,’ said Coleman. ‘Everyone wants to play them in the same way they want to play top sides like Germany and Spain.’
Wales lost 3-2 to Holland on Friday night but Coleman is committed to arranging testing friendlies.
He said: ‘I want us to face sides who will really stretch us and make us work for everything and maybe have us needing to hang on for spells to get something.
‘No matter who we draw, we are going to be pushed to our limits and if we are not right at it we do not get results. We will play a game in March and hopefully two in May or June but that will depend on when our first tournament game is.
‘In the tournament itself playing England would be viewed as a Battle of Britain and that could make it a distraction. We will play three games, we don’t want it to all be about one.’
Coleman also revealed he has yet to speak to Welsh FA chief Jonathan Ford about extending his contract beyond the end of next summer’s tournament.
Coleman wants the situation sorted before Euro 2016 and added: ‘My dream is to eventually manage in the Champions League and realistically I am not going to get a top-four job in this country. I might get that chance somewhere else.
‘I hope that will be something after the World Cup campaign, and by then I will have had six years at this job.’