Craig Bellamy admitted he got his “arse kicked” by England at Wembley – but insisted the painful 3-0 defeat was exactly the kind of test his young side needed before Monday’s must-win World Cup qualifier against Belgium.
Bellamy’s team were blown away inside 20 minutes as Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka struck in a one-sided friendly that many fans had questioned the wisdom of even before kick-off.
But the Wales manager refused to back down from his decision to take on one of Europe’s elite, saying he wanted his players to “feel the pain” of competing at that level.
“I wanted this game, I needed to see where we are,” Bellamy said after the match.
“I can play Lithuania or someone if you want – and that’s no disrespect to them – but we’ll have loads of the ball and try to break them down.
“Where do we want to go? Who do we want to be? Even now that fills me more with motivation, more hunger.
“That physical profile, speed, duels (of the England players), that’s where you want our players to be. I want them to feel that.
“This is where we want to be, but we know we have to play at the top to be up against these teams. I want our egos to be hurt, I like us to be annoyed, but Monday is a different game.
“You don’t go anywhere being damaged. Once you get your arse kicked you learn the most, and I got my arse kicked.”
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It was a brutal first 20 minutes for Bellamy’s men.
Wales goalkeeper Karl Darlow made one early save before Rogers punished slack marking to put England ahead in the third minute.
Watkins added a second soon after as the hosts took advantage of a sleepy Welsh defence, before Saka’s beautiful curling finish made it three inside the opening quarter of an hour.
“The first 20 minutes was tough. It’s a very difficult place to come without starting the way we did,” Bellamy admitted.
“We made it very difficult for ourselves and we had to suffer a lot of pain.
“You look at what makes us a good team when we’re not a good team. Stress, full stadium. That’s why it was so important to get this game because we will get stressed and we will get tested.
“It’s not the first time because we were 3-0 down against Belgium (Wales fought back to level in Brussels before losing 4-3). Belgium and England are at that top table – and we’re not there.
“To give ourselves a big chance we have to stick to what we do. That’s why these games are so beneficial.”
Wales steadied after the break, with David Brooks and Chris Mepham both forcing fine saves from Jordan Pickford as England eased off.
But Bellamy insisted the value of the night came less from the scoreline and more from how his players handled being outclassed.
"If we don't work as a unit, shift our backline, push up, wait for triggers, start making it up because we're stressed, we become an ordinary team," he said.
"Opposition quality can do that to you as well but we have to remember what makes us a good team. That's the learning bit.
"These teams will stress you because they have the quality to do so. To give ourselves a big chance we have to stick to what we do. That's why these games are so beneficial."
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Despite the drubbing, Bellamy remained upbeat, praising his players’ response after the break.
“I quite enjoyed half-time,” he said.
“I was like, ‘Now we see’. We can hide. What are we going to do? We gave examples of what we can do better, but it’s also who you are.
“When those moments happen, it shows who you are as a coach as well. You can come in bawling and throwing stuff, but to who? It makes no sense.
“It’s not exactly planned and what I’d like, but I’m already looking forward to Monday.”
England manager Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, turned his frustration towards a subdued Wembley crowd despite the emphatic scoreline.
“We could have been 5-0 up at half-time. We couldn't score the fourth and fifth ones,” Tuchel told ITV Sport.
“The stadium was silent. We didn't get any energy back from the stands. If you hear just Wales fans for half an hour, it's sad because the team deserved more support today.”
Wales may have been humbled, but Bellamy’s message was clear: defeat by England was a harsh but valuable lesson.
And if his players respond to their “arse kicking” against Belgium, the night could yet prove a turning point in his tenure.
