Iran defeated Wales in a big game with major ramifications for Group B. Gareth Bale said the loss was “difficult to take”.
Wales got into the World Cup through the play-offs, there is doubt about the fitness of Gareth Bale, and they lack depth. But pride will play a part as they compete in their first World Cup since 1958, and they have a manager who understands his players and their nation, so who knows whether there could be a Euro 2016-style surprise ahead.
The manager
Wales boss Rob Page was raised in the Rhondda Valley, an area synonymous with mining and old-fashioned values which colour his approach to management. Understated and hard-working, there is nothing flash or staged about Page.
When Wales played Austria in their World Cup semi-final play-off in March, he delivered a team-talk all about the importance of friendship: “I said, ‘If we take the money away from football, take the politics away from football, we are just a group of mates having a kickabout’.”
Now aged 48, Page won 41 Wales caps as a centre-back and had spells as manager of Port Vale and Northampton Town. After serving as assistant manager to Ryan Giggs for the national team, he was placed in interim charge in November 2020. Giggs resigned in June this year and Page, having got Wales into their first World Cup in 64 years, and only their second ever, was hired permanently with a contract until 2026.
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The household name you haven’t heard of yet
Kieffer Moore is certainly a household name if you were following the South Devon League (Division Two) a decade ago. That is where the now 30-year-old Bournemouth striker was strutting his stuff, in the 14th tier of English football, for Paignton Saints. It has been a journey, as they say, taking in a spell as a lifeguard and a stint playing in Norway.
Named after the Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland, Moore is a handful for any centre-back thanks to his physical presence. It was not always that way though. “He was gangly and raw, that’s how I’d describe him,” said Jon Parkin, who played alongside Moore for Forest Green Rovers, in an interview with The Athletic. “He just reminded me of a heron taking off.”
At 6ft 5in (196cm), Moore’s frame is a big asset for Wales in both penalty boxes. The downside is that he gets booked a lot, not so much because he is overly aggressive, but more due to the fact that his elbows tend to be at the same height as most players’ faces.
Strengths
Gareth Bale is probably the best place to start, even if, at the age of 33, he no longer has the burst of speed that was such a hallmark of his game when he was at his peak.
🤩 Stunning Gareth Bale goals 🏴
🤔 Which one is your favourite? @GarethBale11 | @Cymru | #TBT pic.twitter.com/NBif8Y6GqD
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 28, 2022
In fact, there are legitimate concerns about Bale’s physical condition going into this tournament, namely whether he is capable of playing three World Cup games in the space of eight days. He has only completed 90 minutes once since the end of March.
What nobody should doubt, though, is Bale’s ability to score decisive goals on the big occasion, as he demonstrated once again when he headed a superb, stoppage-time-of-extra-time equaliser to help Los Angeles FC win their first Major League Soccer championship earlier this month. For Wales, Bale’s performance in the World Cup semi-final play-off against Austria in March served as a reminder that he can still produce individual moments of brilliance, both from dead balls and open play, even when short of minutes.
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Bale aside, Wales’ biggest strength is arguably their spirit and camaraderie, creating the impression the team is greater than the sum of its parts. That sense of togetherness, which the late Gary Speed had been so keen to make a pillar of the national team when he first took over as manager in 2010, can carry Wales a long way.
Weaknesses
Depth. Any injuries to Page’s preferred starting XI will hurt Wales badly. The fact that Page has no doubt about taking a 32-year-old Joe Allen to the World Cup, despite the midfielder not playing a minute of football at club level since September 17, says a lot. Back-up options are available, but they are a long way from being like-for-like replacements.
“For us to compete at the top level we are going to need every player fit and available,” Page said a couple of months ago. “That is nothing against the rest of the squad — they are brilliant, to a man. But we need our best players on the pitch.”
In terms of tactics in Qatar, Wales will need to improve their game management. Conceding late goals during the Nations League programme back in June turned three draws into defeats. If that happens just once at the World Cup, it could be the difference between Wales reaching the knockout stage or not.
Local knowledge
The Welsh can sing. In fact, they can sing so well that maybe this belongs in the ‘strengths’ category. Either way, brace yourself for some rousing renditions of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau before their games kick off in Qatar. Page, by his own admission, is an emotional “wreck” when that national anthem starts.
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. That's it. That's the Tweet. 🏴 pic.twitter.com/3O9HR3OXhz
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) November 13, 2021
There is also another, increasingly popular, anthem: Dafydd Iwan’s Yma o Hyd. Iwan, a devout nationalist, was asked to sing before the two World Cup play-off matches in Cardiff, where 30,000 voices from that Welsh choir/Red Wall provided the backing vocals. The title of the song translates as “Still Here”, which is a reference to the survival of the Welsh language against the odds.
On that note, this could well be the last time that ‘Wales’ ever play at a major tournament.
Cymru, the Welsh name for Wales, is expected to be used in the future.
“The team should always be called Cymru, that’s what we call it here,” Noel Mooney, the FAW’s chief executive (soon to be FAC, presumably), said.
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Expectations back home
Michael Sheen’s passionate and stirring World Cup speeches — the first on Sky’s A League Of Their Own sports quiz show, followed by another at the Wales training camp in September — got everyone in the country in the mood for this tournament months ago, and even prompted calls for the Welsh actor to join the team in Qatar.
Michael Sheen was asked on the spot to give a speech to the Welsh football team ahead of their World Cup match against England.
It's absolutely electric. ⚡️pic.twitter.com/wAief7CLGV
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) September 9, 2022
To put things in perspective, this is Wales’ first appearance at a World Cup since 1958, when they were beaten by Brazil, the eventual winners, in the last eight. It has been a long and frustrating wait, so much so that there were times when Wales supporters wondered if they would ever see this day.
Qatar, however, is about much more than taking part for the Welsh. The hope back home is that Wales will be able to navigate their way out of the group, just as they did at the past two European Championships. Wales’ first game, against the United States on Monday night, looks like being make or break in that respect.
Read more: See the rest of The Athletic’s World Cup 2022 squad guides
(Photos: Getty Images; design: Sam Richardson)
