England Squad Strength Labelled 'Ridiculous' - Wales Manager Bellamy
- Published
International friendly: Wales vs England
Venue: Wembley Stadium, the capital Date: Thursday, 9 October Kick-off: 7:45 PM BST
Craig Bellamy states the English squad depth is remarkable that a boxing promoter would not pair them with the Welsh team.
The Welsh squad meet England in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday before their important qualifying match against Belgium next the following week.
England manager Tuchel has left the likes of Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish out of his squad for the match against Wales and their qualifying game against Latvia.
"The English have a incredible squad, similar to the French," the coach remarked.
"They have a market valuation of £1.4bn, Wales' is 170 million. If you were a boxing promoter, you would not match us up. That wouldn't be permitted."
He explains making sure Wales can face the star-studded opponents is a "key motivation".
The Wales head coach added: "We don't go off values, but the simple fact is England don't just have a single lineup. They have two, three, four and France and others have the same level. They have many great players and that's the honest truth."
"A defender went out with injury the other day and there are 24 more to choose from! They have over sixty footballers. I wish us to be well-equipped similarly."
These two nations last faced each other at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when England ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in a fixture before the previous England team reached the last eight.
Southgate's successor is Thomas Tuchel, a European and world club winner at the London club who has won league championships in Ligue 1 and his native Germany.
The Welsh boss was previously an coach at Anderlecht and Burnley to Vincent Kompany, who replaced Tuchel at Bayern Munich.
"Tuchel's an outstanding coach - his record speak for themselves," Bellamy added.
"I possess a degree of understanding because the club he left I am familiar with individuals who have joined. I get a glimpse there of how he works and it's very impressive. "
"His strategic planning is top level and I aimed to be facing such a challenge - see how we adjust because he will. I can learn from it. I aspire to get to such heights."
Wales Team Selection
Goalkeepers: Darlow (Leeds), Adam Davies (Sheffield United), King (the Toffees).
Defenders: Ben Cabango (Swansea), Dasilva (Coventry City), B. Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Kpakio (Cardiff), Dylan Lawlor (Cardiff City), Chris Mepham (West Bromwich Albion), Rodon (Leeds), Neco Williams (Forest).
Midfielders: Ethan Ampadu (Leeds), Brooks (the Cherries), J. James (Leicester City - loaned by Rennes), Josh Sheehan (Bolton), Sorba Thomas (Stoke City), H. Wilson (Fulham), Joel Colwill (Cardiff), R. Colwill (Cardiff).
Attackers: Broadhead (the Red Dragons), Liam Cullen (Swansea City), Mark Harris (Oxford United), Lewis Koumas (Birmingham - on loan from Liverpool), Johnson (Tottenham Hotspur), Kieffer Moore (Wrexham), Isaak Davies (Cardiff).
