Craig Bellamy has admitted he has been losing sleep over facing Liechtenstein - although he is backing Wales to get the job done on Friday night against the team ranked 205 in the world.
The Wales manager insists he is not the best sleeper anyway in the hours before matches - and was the same as a player - but it is a measure of Wales’ troubles in previous June qualifiers that he spent Thursday night staring at his bedroom ceiling.
Bellamy has already suffered one blow - the loss of Dan James through illness - and he says he will remain edgy until Wales have picked up three points at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Two years ago, Wales lost 4-2 at home to Armenia in a Euro 2024 qualifier, a result that proved the beginning of the end for former manager Rob Page.
“I was up late last night,” said Bellamy at his team’s base at the Vale of Glamorgan Resort.
“I didn't sleep well. Does that tell you something? I treat every team the same.
“I’ve watched the same amount of games in Liechtenstein as I have for every other team. My psyche can’t work any differently. I honestly believe if you disrespect the game it will catch you out.”
On the one hand, the fact that Bellamy is having sleepless nights about Liechtenstein, begs the question, how will he manage any kip before they go on to meet Belgium in Brussels next Monday?
On the other, it perhaps says more about his relentless attention to detail and the demands for high standards he makes on his players.
READ MORE: Wales Must Devour The Minnows Before They Aim To Take A Bite Out Of Belgium
Those attitudes have served him well so far and Wales are currently on an eight-match unbeaten run. Slipping up against Liechtenstein, who are 205th out of FIFA’s 210 ranked nations, appears unthinkable to many, but Bellamy has been thinking about it and how it must be avoided.
“Win the game,” he said when asked what the target was against the Group J minnows.
“Win the game. That is it. That’s the honest truth. I don’t care about scorelines. I don’t care about this. I don’t care about that.
“We have to win this game. That’s all we’re working for this week.
“Everything we’ve done this week is about being consistent. We’ve prepared for Liechtenstein as we did for Turkey and everyone else.
“The consistency is us. How we work has to remain the same and it doesn't matter who we play against.
“Every game gives us an opportunity to progress. Every game. Can we improve? Can we get better? It’s the same tomorrow night.”
“I treat every team the same. I’ve watched the same amount of games on Liechtenstein as I have for every other team. My psyche can’t work any differently. I honestly believe if you disrespect the game it will catch you out.
"The same messages have been fed to the players. It doesn't matter. We have to be us. Fight for every ball. Recovery runs. Reactions. All the habits we believe give us the best opportunity to be the best team we want to be.
"At the end of the day, in football there’s highs and lows of course, but the top teams are the ones that are consistent. If we want to be a top team we have to be consistent no matter who we play."
Despite Bellamy’s anxieties, the omens appear good for Wales, ahead of their double-header.
Ethan Ampadu and Harry Wilson, arguably Wales’ two most important players, are available again after missing the March qualifiers through injury.
Leeds captain Ampadu has not played for his country since September due to knee issues, with Bellamy saying Wales do not possess another player with the midfielder’s “number six profile”.
Fulham forward Wilson has been on fire since Bellamy took charge, scoring four times in six games as Wales won promotion to the top tier of the Nations League last autumn.
Wales were at a low point last summer after Gibraltar’s part-timers held them to a 0-0 friendly draw in Portugal.
But that did not stop the official Liechtenstein X account poking fun at the Dragons with a spot of trolling online.
“Hello! Shall we schedule a friendly match?” proclaimed a nation without a competitive victory since 2020.
The World Cup draw ensured there was no need for that – and now Wales have the perfect chance for revenge.
