Three Lions Team Depth Called 'Ridiculous' - Wales Boss Craig Bellamy
- Published
Friendly match: England v Wales
Venue: London's Wembley, London Date: October 9th Kick-off: 7:45 PM BST
Craig Bellamy states the English squad depth is so impressive that matchmakers wouldn't match them with his Wales side.
The Welsh squad meet England in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday before their important qualifying match against Belgium next Monday.
National team coach Tuchel has left the likes of Jude Bellingham, Foden and Jack Grealish out of his squad for the match against Wales and their qualifying game against the Latvian team.
"The English have a ridiculous squad, similar to France," Bellamy remarked.
"They have a market valuation of 1.4 billion pounds, ours is 170 million. If you were a fight promoter, you would not put us together. That wouldn't be permitted."
He explains making sure the Welsh team can face the star-studded rivals is a "driving force".
Bellamy added: "We don't go off values, but the reality is they have more than one team. They possess two, three, four and France and other nations are similarly stacked. They have loads of great players and that's a fact."
"One right-back was ruled out injured the recently and there's only 24 more to go! They have 60-odd players. I wish us to be stacked like them."
These two nations last faced each other at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when the English emerged as easy 3-0 winners in a group match before Gareth Southgate's side made it to the quarter-finals.
The new manager is Tuchel, a Champions League and Fifa Club World Cup winner at Chelsea who has claimed league championships in Ligue 1 and his native Germany.
The Welsh boss was previously an assistant at Anderlecht and Burnley to Vincent Kompany, who succeeded him at Bayern Munich.
"Tuchel's an incredible coach - his record is proven," Bellamy noted.
"I possess some sort of understanding because the club he left I know people who have gone in there. I get a glimpse from that of how he works and it's remarkable. "
"His tactical detail is top level and I aimed to be facing that - see how you're going to adapt because he will. I can learn from it. I'd love to reach such heights."
Welsh Team Selection
Goalkeepers: Darlow (Leeds), Adam Davies (Sheffield United), Tom King (the Toffees).
Defenders: Cabango (Swansea), Dasilva (Coventry City), B. Davies (Spurs), Ronan Kpakio (Cardiff City), Dylan Lawlor (Cardiff City), Chris Mepham (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Rodon (Leeds United), Williams (Forest).
Midfield: Ampadu (Leeds), Brooks (Bournemouth), J. James (Leicester City - on loan from Rennes), Sheehan (Bolton), Sorba Thomas (Stoke), H. Wilson (Fulham), Joel Colwill (Cardiff), R. Colwill (Cardiff City).
Forwards: Broadhead (Wrexham), Cullen (Swansea), Mark Harris (Oxford United), Koumas (Birmingham City - loaned by the Reds), Johnson (Spurs), Moore (Wrexham), Isaak Davies (Cardiff).
