Three Lions Team Strength Called 'Ridiculous' - Welsh Manager Craig Bellamy
- Published
Friendly match: England v Wales
Venue: London's Wembley, London Date: October 9th Kick-off: 19:45 BST
The Wales head coach says the English squad depth is remarkable that a boxing promoter would not match them against his Wales side.
Bellamy's men meet England in a non-competitive match at the national stadium on Thursday before their important qualifying match against the Belgians next the following week.
National team coach Tuchel has left the likes of Bellingham, Phil Foden and Grealish from his selection for the match against Wales and their World Cup qualifier against Latvia.
"The English have a incredible team, like the French," Bellamy remarked.
"They have a market valuation of £1.4bn, Wales' is £170m. If you were a fight promoter, you wouldn't put us together. That wouldn't be permitted."
He says ensuring Wales can face the talented opponents is a "key motivation".
Bellamy added: "We do not rely on values, but the reality is England have more than a single lineup. They have two, three, four and the French and others are similarly stacked. England have many great players and that's a fact."
"One right-back was ruled out with injury the recently and there's only two dozen others to choose from! They've got 60-odd players. I'd love us to be stacked similarly."
These two nations last faced each other at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when England ran out easy 3-0 winners in a fixture before Gareth Southgate's side made it to the quarter-finals.
Southgate's successor is Thomas Tuchel, a Champions League and world club champion at Chelsea who has won league championships in Ligue 1 and his native Germany.
The Welsh boss was formerly an assistant at the Belgian side and the English club to Vincent Kompany, who replaced him at the German giants.
"Tuchel's an incredible coach - his record speak for themselves," Bellamy noted.
"I possess a degree of understanding because the team he departed I am familiar with people who have joined. I gain a glimpse there of his methods and it's very impressive. "
"His strategic planning is top level and I wanted to be facing such a challenge - observe how we adjust because he adapts too. I can learn from it. I aspire to reach such heights."
Wales Team Selection
Goalkeepers: Karl Darlow (Leeds United), Adam Davies (Sheffield Utd), King (the Toffees).
Backline: Cabango (Swansea), Dasilva (Coventry City), Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Ronan Kpakio (Cardiff), Lawlor (Cardiff City), Mepham (West Brom), Rodon (Leeds), Williams (Forest).
Midfielders: Ethan Ampadu (Leeds United), David Brooks (Bournemouth), Jordan James (Leicester - on loan from Rennes), Sheehan (Bolton Wanderers), Sorba Thomas (Stoke City), H. Wilson (Fulham), J. Colwill (Cardiff City), Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City).
Attackers: Broadhead (the Red Dragons), Cullen (Swansea City), Mark Harris (Oxford), Lewis Koumas (Birmingham - loaned by Liverpool), Johnson (Spurs), Moore (Wrexham), Isaak Davies (Cardiff).
