Craig Bellamy has urged his Wales players to reset and focus ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifying double-header—regardless of how their club seasons ended. “Some finished the season on a trampoline, others with a ball around their neck,” the manager said. “But now it’s about what we’re doing here.”
00:00Craig Bellamy has urged his Wales players to reset and focus ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifying doubleheader, regardless of how their club seasons ended.
00:13Some finished the season on a trampoline, others with a ball around their neck, the manager said. But now it's about what we're doing here.
00:21Bellamy's squad includes players on both sides of the emotional spectrum. Brennan Johnson and Ben Davies come into a camp fresh off Europa League success with Tottenham Hotspur, while Leeds United's promotion-winning quartet Carl Darlow, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Roden and Daniel James will also arrive on a high.
00:43Conor Roberts was promoted with Burnley too, but Bellamy is mindful that others will need lifting after less successful campaigns.
00:53The future of Welsh football as it stands, if they keep developing, should be very exciting.
01:00The Wales boss announced the 27-man squad for the upcoming qualifiers against Lichtenstein and Belgium, with 18-year-old Cardiff City right-back Ronan Copacchio earning his first senior call-up.
01:14However, another teenage talent, Manchester United striker Gabriel Bianachari, is not included.
01:20Despite featuring in recent Wales training camp, Bianchieri will instead join up with Canada's senior squad, though Bellamy says he has no issue with that.
01:30Bianchieri, eligible for Canada and Italy, has impressed at youth level for both club and country, scoring 21 goals in 35 games for Manchester United and 8-10 for Wales under-19s.
01:44Canada boss Jesse March described him as a dynamic forward, with intelligent movement and a goal-scoring instinct, liking him to Jonathan David in terms of playing style.
01:54Meanwhile, Wales will be without veteran midfielder Joe Allen, who has retired for the second time.
02:03Allen's late error almost cost Wales against North Macedonia in March, but a 96-minute David Brooks equaliser kept Bellamy's unbeaten start intact.
02:12Allen's late error ölünde Joe Allen, who has retired before the first time with a comprehensive
