Despite becoming the first Wales head coach to avoid defeat in his first three matches in charge, Craig Bellamy and his side still have plenty of questions to answer and lessons to learn if they are to get to where the former international wants: the 2026 World Cup.

Friday night’s 2-2 draw with Iceland encapsulated this: a stellar first half display with goals from Harry Wilson and Brennan Johnson was cancelled out by a tricky second period where Iceland put pressure on Wales for the first time and mistakes arose.

Bellamy insisted that he was pleased with the result, despite letting go of a 2-0 lead.

“I was really pleased. I enjoyed it. We’ll benefit so much from that 45 minutes [in the second half], it’s so good for us,” he said.

“In the long run this will be beneficial for us. Obviously to be 2-0 up and draw is disappointing, but it was a pleasing performance.

“It was me learning about the players and them learning from us. It’s never good to concede, I don’t like it, we’ll look at it again.”

Consistency is Key

In all three matches under Bellamy, Wales have had good starts, only to fall away later on in matches.

With a renewed emphasis on pressing and intensity, this is not an uncommon problem for a new team to have. It is managing the situations when Wales drop off in energy that will count.

If such little time on the training pitch and limited ability to control the physical condition of his players, Bellamy recognised that this issue will take time to rectify.

“It’s consistency in the game, that’s what you’re pushing for, to consistently be good with the ball and without the ball,” said Bellamy, who added it is not only about players getting used to the gameplan, but also adapting within matches.

“But I see these things as quite normal. We’ve spent a number of meetings since then showing that discipline will allow you to have good habits.

“Good habits allow you to be consistent and if you’re consistent, then you can grow. We’re just in that period at the moment. It’s trying to create that consistency for us in how we see we would like this team to become.”

Risk vs Reward

While it is clear that Bellamy wants to play a more adventurous style than under previous coach Rob Page, captain Ben Davies has insisted that Wales’ new playing style is not high-risk.

Wales are currently second in group B4 of the Nations League.

“That terminology [high-risk] can assume we are not in control at times. Just because it’s close to our goal doesn’t mean we feel we are taking big risks,” said Tottenham Hotspur defender Davies.

“I think the more we can have the ball, it means they don’t have it. If they want to press really high then it means we have got space up front, and we have players there who can cause problems for any teams.”

For Davies, who has played for Wales for over a decade now, this new style is a refreshing one.

“Probably the biggest difference is the style of play. We’re trying to dominate with the ball. We’re trying to show that we can be good without it,” said Davies.

“It’s about maintaining those levels. You’ve seen in the games we’ve played that we have tried to start on the front foot, dominate the ball and create as many chances as we can.

“Look, there’s a period of adaptation that’s expected. I feel that it’s gone pretty well and that as a group there’s a lot more to come from us.”

Gambling On Joe Allen

Perhaps the biggest problem that has faced Wales and Bellamy so far is the knee injury suffered by Ethan Ampadu while playing for Leeds. With the midfielder now expected to be out until the New Year, Wales have turned to a former great: Joe Allen.

Bellamy has admitted that it would be a risk to start the 34-year-old tonight against Montenegro, but also that he would relish the “romance” of his return.

Allen retired from international duty in 2022 and returned to the squad, only to miss out against Iceland on Friday night.

Fitness issues have limited him to just six substitute appearances for Swansea City this season but, as they are without Ethan Ampadu, Aaron Ramsey and Jordan James, Wales are short of options in midfield.

“Of course he’s a gamble if you throw him in from the start because of his minutes and football this year,” Bellamy said.

“That goes for a lot of our players as well. A lot of them do very good work even though they’re not playing. Their clubs are run incredibly well. Does it match a game? Of course we all understand it doesn’t.

“Hopefully he kicks the ball for me tomorrow. Even if he doesn’t he’s had an incredible week for us and been really positive for us.”

U21s Miss Out After Admin Blunder

Moving away from the senior side, and the U21s were beaten 2-1 by Czechia at Rodney Parade.

The team were hindered by a paperwork error that ruled six players out of the match, including senior internationals Owen Beck and Rubin Colwill who had not travelled to Iceland with the senior squad in order to play for the U21s.

They are now relying on Lithuania prevent Czechia from winning on Tuesday night and therefore earn a play-off spot.

The U21s boss did concede the mistake was a disruption, though denied he was left angry by what had happened.

“There will be a review to get to the bottom of it and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said head coach Matty Jones.

“It has caused disruption and unnecessary noise. I think I managed it the best I could but ultimately it’s at the back of your mind and at the back of players’ minds as well.

“We know we have the strength in the squad to cater for players when they’ve been missed, when they’ve been good enough to go up to the first team.

“Of course everyone wants a Rubin Colwill and Owen Beck in the team but we’ve shown before we can manage without them. It wasn’t a major concern, but how it came about was disappointing.

“We will stick together and take the responsibility as a whole. It’s a ‘we’ problem rather than about pointing fingers.”

Fixture

Wales vs Montenegro.

Cardiff City Stadium, Kick-off: 19:45.

Watch live on S4C.

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