Craig Bellamy: “We made it very difficult for ourselves” in England defeat | OneFootball

Following their big 3-0 defeat at the hands of England, Wales manager Craig Bellamy admitted his side were – at times – architects of their own downfall, but remained positive with regards to the benefits of facing tougher opposition.

It was in the 20 minutes of the game that England ran riot and scored three goals, which ultimately was too big a deficit for Wales to come back from. Bellamy accepted that his side could have dealt with an attacking deluge better.

“First 20 minutes were tough. It’s a very difficult place to come without starting the way we did, we made it very difficult for ourselves against, as we know, a very good opposition. With their intensity, physicality, they were able to push through that as well, and also it was a tough period, I have to be honest,” Bellamy said.

The boss also focused on the importance of the challenging games for his side, and despite their difficulties, the 46-year-old emphasised how much he relishes these sorts of opportunities and believes that no match is considered a friendly.

“Stress. Full house, full stadium. That why it’s so important to get this game because you will get tested and you will get stressed. Now, if we don’t work as a unit, we don’t shift our backline, also push up, wait for triggers, we start making it up because we’re stressed then we become an ordinary team,” he said.

Wales now look forward to an encounter against Belgium, and one that could be key for qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The former Welsh international gave an update on his plans and squad availability for Monday’s affair and spoke about how he manages the minutes of his players.

“No, no. Everyone came through. We made the substitutions at the right time, where we felt certain players with game time we needed. So, got one or two players on from the bench that might start. We’re always aware, we have to be, we get the data from the teams and who’s played a lot of minutes, who’s trained a lot, who’s carrying so and so to try and manage it,” he concluded.

Wales face Belgium in a crucial game in terms of World Cup qualification on Monday evening, with the game taking place at 7:45pm GMT at the Cardiff City Stadium.