UEFA European Championship debutants Wales are a contradiction in terms.
For a side that lives by a ‘Together Stronger’ motto, they are totally dependent on Gareth Bale to give what is a hard-working and well-organised unit a genuine goal threat.
Chris Coleman’s team expect to make the knock-out stages of the competition. To do so they will probably need one or more players to step up and take the attacking load off their Real Madrid talisman.
Wales face Slovakia at 5pm on Saturday, June 11, before an eye-catching 2pm encounter with England five days later and final Group B match against Russia at 8pm on Monday, June 20.
Aside from elimination, qualifying third from the group is the scenario to be avoided as it would most likely set up a Round of 16 clash with either Germany or Spain.
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
Wales flirted with humiliation in their opener, away at Andorra. Not content with allowing their hosts to score a first competitive goal in four years, they then came within nine minutes of giving the minnows a first group point since 2005.
That man Bale’s late free-kick secured a 2-1 victory and saw Coleman’s men embark on an eight-match unbeaten run, including an impressive 1-0 home win against eventual group winners Belgium.
Seven clean sheets in ten qualifiers was the bedrock of their success, particularly as the 11 goals they managed was the second-lowest return, behind Albania, of the 24 Euro 2016 qualifiers.
A nervy 2-0 defeat in Bosnia-Herzegovina was the only time they shipped more than one goal in a match, requiring them to book their ticket to France with a final fixture 2-0 win over Andorra.
In three friendlies since qualifying, Wales have hardly inspired: defeats to Holland and Ukraine and a 1-1 draw at home to Northern Ireland secured with an 89th minute Simon Church penalty mean Coleman’s charges will go into their one and only Euro 2015 warm-up, on June 5, on the back of three defeats from their last five matches.
Most Appearances: Wayne Hennessey, Chris Gunter, Ashley Williams, Gareth Bale (10); Neil Taylor, Hal Robson-Kanu (9); Aaron Ramsey (8), Simon Church, Ben Davies, Joe Ledley (7).
Most goals: Gareth Bale (7); Aaron Ramsey (2); David Cotterill, Hal Robson-Kanu (1).
Most assists: Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey (2), Ben Davies, Jazz Richards, Andy King (1).
THE KEY TARGETS
The pressure on Gareth Bale to perform is huge. Handed a more advanced central role under Coleman, he played a part in nine of their qualifying goals, courtesy of seven strikes and two assists, and also fired more than twice the number of attempts than any team-mate.
Priced at 10.5 and listed as a forward in the Uefa game, Bale currently sits in 10% of sides. Whilst the stats show he clearly thrives on being his country’s main man, that’s still a big outlay for a player, like his team, with no international tournament experience whatsoever.
Aaron Ramsey, at 7.5, represents a more measured acquisition. Although he scored just twice in the qualifiers, the Arsenal midfielder produced just five shots less than Bale inside the box, whilst he also led the way for key passes, despite mustering just two assists. Ramsey is also number one for crossing and corner kicks, which strengthens his appeal in the Draft Kings game.
Those seven clean sheets in qualifying should make a Welsh defender a worthy investment. Neil Taylor may emerge as the best option for points at both ends of the pitch – fielded as a left wing-back in Coleman’s preferred 5-3-2 formation, the Swansea man made more crosses and double the number of key passes as Chris Gunter on the right.
Currently owned by 1% of managers, Taylor’s 5.0 value in the Uefa game makes him a cheaper option than club colleague Ashley Williams (at 5.5, with 5% ownership status). Furthermore, Taylor was top for interceptions and second for tackles in qualifying, strengthening his Draft Kings potential.
Number one Wayne Hennessey (5.0) is also worth a look at 5.0 – the Palace stopper registered 21 saves in qualifying, a tally bettered by only four other keepers. If Wales can rediscover their appetite for clean sheets, Hennessey will also be an attractive option in the Draft Kings game where shut-outs earn more points for keepers.
THE LONG SHOTS
If price is a factor, James Chester, at 4.5 in Uefa, could be a budget enabler at the back, particularly in the Draft Kings game, which doesn’t reward the clearances and blocks at which Ashley Williams excels. Chester equalled Williams for successful tackles and beat him for interceptions, despite featuring in four fewer qualifiers.
The 6.0-priced Hal Robson-Kanu offers some value for those on a budget. Having started nine of the team’s ten qualifiers, he looks a nailed-on starter who could benefit from the potential freedom afforded him by the desire of opponents to concentrate on shutting down Bale. End product remains the issue, however, with the Reading man scoring just once from a total of only 14 attempts in qualifying.
Upcoming Friendlies
Sweden v Wales (June 5).
Further Analysis
Group A – Albania, France, Romania, Switzerland.
8 years, 17 days agoFair chance I play the wildcard for MD2.
In which cases I might just go balls to the wall to score big in MD1 and the use the tournament info from those games to pick my team for the next two MDs.