Next time let’s not leave it to penalties
LUNCHTIME on Tuesday in the Wetherspoons pub in Cardiff Bay I talked to seven lads from Llanidloes who were decked in red shirts and were going to the Cardiff City Stadium later.
They were so confident that they had already made arrangements to get to Hamburg by train after flying to Amsterdam.
How disappointed they must have been after the game.
Well Robert Page ignored the advice in my letter last Monday and started with Keiffer Moore to the exclusion of David Brooks.
Inevitably the tactics changed with long balls being hit in Moore’s direction.
This tactic didn’t really trouble the Polish defence apart from one header early in the second half that tested Czezny in the polish goal.
Wales marginally shaded the first half but Poland the second.
Page decided to bring on Daniel James but instead of changing the tactics kept Moore in place and withdrew Brennan Johnson – surely a mistake.
The game ended in a predictable stalemate with neither side breaking down the two defences and we all know what happened next.
I listened to the lunchtime phonein on Radio Wales. One fan from Cardiff thought it was a great game and I have to ask which game did he watch?
There was some neat play from both sides in defence and midfield but when it got to the final third everything broke down with little creativity and Poland became ultra cautious with star striker Lewandowski really quiet.
What conclusions can we draw from the campaign which faltered badly in the two games against Armenia which yielded one point? The young team showed real potential particularly in the two play-off games and I’m optimistic for the future.
Is Robert Page the man to take Wales into the next World Cup?
His contract expires at the end of that tournament but it’s right to ask whether its time to replace him.
Who really stood out in the play offs?
Well Ampadu for one. Leeds captain already at 23 and with 50 caps to his name. Surely a future Welsh captain. Ben Davies is another. Composed throughout and good on the ball going forward.
In Nico Williams, 19-year-old James, Harry Wilson and Brennan Johnson all contributed greatly so yes, there is hope. But next time let’s not leave it to extra time and penalties.
Phil Taylor Sketty, Swansea