Craig Bellamy: Wales boss picks over ‘heart in mouth’ Belgium loss
Wales’ players were disappointed as the final whistle blew, a gleam in their eyes as they realized a great opportunity had passed them by.
Belgium’s goalless draw with North Macedonia on Friday opened the door for Wales, who must win their remaining three matches to top Group J and automatically qualify for the World Cup.
But they fell at the first hurdle, losing 4-3 in Brussels in June before again giving Belgium the upper hand in a chaotic clash.
Once again Wales’ bold approach – pressing and pushing forward at every opportunity – left them defensively vulnerable and once again they were brutally punished by Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and others.
Come to think of it, did Bellamy feel like his side was a little too open?
“We felt like the best way to tackle this team was to keep possession of the ball,” he replied. “We created a lot of chances but we thought that was the way to beat this team because we needed to win.
“It was that simple and towards the end we opened up more. We lost control of the game a little bit. But I always believe that the way to prevent the opponent from scoring is to have the ball.
“But that passing moment with Jeremy is so scary every time you have the ball, if it goes wrong it’s just this kid.
“I experienced it. I took him to my team [at Anderlecht]”I knew how dangerous he was, but to go against him… We knew there would be difficult moments in this match.”
It has been a frustrating window for Bellamy, whose decision to face England in a friendly at Wembley last Thursday was met with skepticism, consternation and outright criticism.
The result, a punishing 3-0 defeat, increased the fans’ discontent, but they were willing to keep an open mind if it would help Wales beat Belgium.
Fans will now be less forgiving as Wales lose (12 goals conceded in five games) and see their hopes of qualifying automatically destroyed.
But nothing will deter Bellamy, whose beliefs are unshakable.
“I saw a lot today that made me feel like we can get closer to these. We can get closer. We need to keep improving,” he said.
“But I told you at the beginning when I was going to do it. I’m going to press on and I’m not going to sit back. I know that goes against some people, but that’s who I am.”
“And today, I saw a team that had flaws because I had them. A team that wanted to do things because I wanted to. I’m grateful for that.”
