The Easter friendlies are over and Wales manager Chris Coleman is now left to mull over his final squad selection for the Euro 2016 tournament finals in France. Did Coleman learn anything he didn’t already know? Or was it a case of confirming evidence gathered during qualification? Dai Sport’s Ross Tyson (Twitter @rosstyson) sticks his head under Coleman’s thinking cap.
10 quick thoughts on Wales
If you want to take your mind of that sixth Creme Egg you ate when you really didn’t have to this past weekend, here are 10 thoughts I had after watching Wales’ educational if uninspiring 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland and 0-1 loss to Ukraine:
‘You get punished at this level’
A cliché yes, but true none the less. Both of Wales’ opponents will join them in France and proved that mistakes are punished at tournament level, more so than in qualifying. The likes of Aleksandr Kokorin, Marek Hamsik and Harry Kane will be licking their lips at the prospect of poorly-cleared corners and defenders napping at free kicks.
‘Huws could come in handy’
One positive note from the loss in Ukraine was the performance of Emyr Huws. It would be a wild exaggeration to call the Huddersfield man is the complete midfielder. But he does have the ability to play defensively or attacking, has an eye for goal, and his height can be dangerous. The latter two points were both evident when he netted against the Netherlands in late 2015.
‘Tom Lawrence struggles’
The Cardiff City man started both friendlies which may suggest Coleman plans to take him to France, but, unfortunately, his circa two hours wearing Wales’ No.10 served only to damage his Euro trip ambitions. While rivals like George Williams, and namesake Jonny, looked vibrant, the former Manchester United trainee appeared laboured and sloppy; his place isn’t assured at the time of writing.
‘Chester still confident’
This season has been a difficult one for James Chester. After impressing for Hull City and becoming a regular for Wales, his move to West Bromwich Albion saw him become a rotation option. Then, James Collins’ resurgent West Ham form put Chester’s Wales place under real threat. He responded with two tidy 90-minute performances, reassuring Chris Coleman and the fans of his talent. Injuries and an upturn in form should see him playing more regularly for West Brom, also.
‘It’ll be a back five in France’
Against Northern Ireland, Wales played with a back four. But in Ukraine, the tougher of the two fixtures, they reverted to their familiar five-man defence and, in honesty, looked more comfortable, a sloppy free kick aside. It’s unwise to fix something that isn’t broken so Wales are likely to plan their F
