Wales heat up for Euro 2024 qualifying motion in Latvia with a Cardiff pleasant towards South Korea on Thursday.
Whereas Monday’s journey to Riga holds higher significance to Wales, the South Korea sport takes on particular significance for Rob Web page’s Dragons after a troublesome 12 months.
Right here, the PA information company seems to be on the predominant speaking factors surrounding the primary assembly between the 2 nations at senior males’s stage.
Rob eager to jot down new Web page
Precisely 12 months in the past supervisor Rob Web page signed a brand new four-year contract and every part within the Welsh backyard was rosy. Wales had been on their solution to a primary World Cup for 64 years beneath Gareth Bale’s captaincy. Following a depressing time in Qatar, Bale and different senior gamers retired and June defeats to Armenia and Turkey have left Wales with an uphill job to routinely qualify for Euro 2024. After one win in 12 video games, the stress on Web page is rising.
Collectively Stronger?
Wales has been certain tightly by its ‘Collectively Stronger’ mantra since Chris Coleman’s aspect blazed a path to the semi-finals of Euro 2016. With sell-out video games at their Cardiff fortress and hundreds of voices current on away days, the passionate fan-base turned generally known as ‘The Pink Wall’. However that ‘Wall’ can be lacking a couple of blocks this week with the 33,000-capacity Cardiff Metropolis Stadium at risk of being half-empty for the go to of South Korea.
Come on you Spurs
Tottenham followers may have greater than a passing curiosity within the sport ought to Brennan Johnson, Ben Davies and Son Heung-min be concerned. Spurs spent £47.5million on Johnson on deadline day because the 22-year-old Wales ahead arrived from Nottingham Forest to assist make up for the departure of Harry Kane. Nice associates Davies and Son might be in direct competitors towards one another, with the Spurs and South Korea captain excessive on confidence after his weekend hat-trick at Burnley.
Keeper disaster
Web page took the bizarre determination to call 4 goalkeepers in his squad for this week’s double-header – Danny Ward, Wayne Hennessey, Adam Davies and Tom King. But none of them are first-choice at their golf equipment and solely Davies has had any game-time this season, for Sheffield United within the Carabao Cup. It’s a huge drawback that Web page has no management over and the Wales boss is probably going to offer primary Ward much-needed minutes on Thursday.
Klinsmann trouble
Web page just isn’t the one supervisor beneath stress. New South Korea boss Jurgen Klinsmann has felt the warmth after simply six months within the job, not simply attributable to outcomes on the pitch however due to points off it. 4 residence video games have but to provide a win, with attracts Colombia and El Salvador and defeats to Uruguay and Peru. The USA-based former Germany striker and World Cup winner has been criticised for spending so little time in South Korea since his appointment and naming his squad for September video games towards Wales and Saudi Arabia within the type of a press launch relatively than holding a press convention.