England Team Strength Called 'Ridiculous' - Wales Boss Bellamy
- Published
International friendly: England v Wales
Venue: London's Wembley, the capital Date: Thursday, 9 October Kick-off: 7:45 PM BST
Craig Bellamy says the English player pool is remarkable that matchmakers wouldn't pair them with the Welsh team.
The Welsh squad meet their neighbors in a non-competitive match at the national stadium on Thursday before their important World Cup qualifier against Belgium next the following week.
National team coach Thomas Tuchel has left the likes of Jude Bellingham, Foden and Grealish from his selection for the Wales friendly and their qualifying game against the Latvian team.
"The English have a incredible team, like France," Bellamy remarked.
"England have a transfer market value of £1.4bn, Wales' is 170 million. If you were a fight promoter, you wouldn't match us up. That wouldn't be permitted."
He says making sure Wales can compete with the talented opponents is a "driving force".
Bellamy continued: "Our team do not rely on values, but the simple fact is England have more than a single lineup. They have two, three, four and France and other nations have the same level. England have loads of great players and that's the honest truth."
"One right-back was ruled out with injury the other day and there are 24 more to go! They have 60-odd footballers. I'd love us to be stacked like them."
The neighbouring countries most recently met at the 2022 World Cup in the Middle East, when the English ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in a group match before Gareth Southgate's side reached the quarter-finals.
The new manager is Thomas Tuchel, a European and Fifa Club World Cup winner at Chelsea who has claimed league championships in France and his native Germany.
The Welsh boss was formerly an assistant at the Belgian side and the English club to Kompany, who replaced him at Bayern Munich.
"He's an incredible coach - his achievements speak for themselves," he noted.
"I possess a degree of insight because the team he departed I am familiar with people who have gone in there. I gain a bit of an insight from that of how he works and it's remarkable. "
"His tactical detail is top level and I aimed to be facing such a challenge - observe how you're going to adapt because he adapts too. I can learn from that. I aspire to reach that level."
Wales Team List
Goalkeepers: Darlow (Leeds), Davies (Sheffield Utd), Tom King (Everton).
Backline: Cabango (Swansea), Dasilva (Coventry City), Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Kpakio (Cardiff City), Lawlor (Cardiff City), Chris Mepham (West Bromwich Albion), Rodon (Leeds), Williams (Forest).
Midfielders: Ampadu (Leeds), David Brooks (Bournemouth), Jordan James (Leicester - loaned by Rennes), Sheehan (Bolton), Sorba Thomas (Stoke), H. Wilson (the Cottagers), Joel Colwill (Cardiff), R. Colwill (Cardiff).
Attackers: Nathan Broadhead (the Red Dragons), Cullen (Swansea City), Mark Harris (Oxford), Koumas (Birmingham City - on loan from the Reds), Johnson (Spurs), Moore (Wrexham), Isaak Davies (Cardiff City).
