Craig Bellamy said he believes a “special moment” is brewing for Wales and hopes the perfect storm arrives when they host Belgium in Monday’s crunch World Cup qualifier. Wales’s fate is in their hands after Belgium were held against Group J leaders North Macedonia and victory in Cardiff would keep alive the hosts’ hopes of qualifying automatically.
Wales are seeking to bounce back from a 3-0 friendly defeat against England at Wembley, which the captain, Ben Davies, who is poised to win his 100th cap against Belgium, said provided a “wakeup call” and prompted a “quiet journey back to Cardiff” on Friday, hours before the squad were boosted by watching their next opponents draw in Ghent.
Bellamy discussed the importance of heading into Monday’s game in a positive mindset. “I always believe there is a special moment coming, I can’t and won’t allow myself to feel the other way,” the Wales manager said. “Positivity is something I have to have around me, from my coaches, players; body language, I’m very big on that, how you present yourself, it’s so important. I only ever see good. Trust me, there was a period where I only ever saw the other side. I know which side I want to see. Being positive is everything.”
Bellamy said Wales can use their previous experience of big nights in the capital to their advantage. “Players have been in this situation so many times over the last 10 years, especially Cardiff nights. The crowd are used to these moments.
“When we’ve managed to qualify it’s been here. I didn’t get to experience that [as a player] – usually at this stage I was out of the group – so it’s nice to be able to get to three games left and a huge game on Monday that if we win, it’s a nice start to the remaining games.”
Bellamy added that defeat against Thomas Tuchel’s England only fuelled his determination to improve Wales. “How can I close that gap? How can I get to where he is? And if I get there: how can I overtake him?” he said.
“I like pressing and we didn’t press. We were deep, we didn’t get out, we didn’t trigger. Top teams don’t let you get away with it. Looking back through the game, I really enjoyed it. I don’t like the defeat, but there’s a lot to grab and it gives me the feeling this team can go a lot further and that leaves you excited.”
