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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Paul Abbandonato

Wales need the greatest result in their 146-year history in England World Cup clash after tactical blunders and no-shows

Think of Wales' biggest results in history and 3-1 versus Belgium in Lille, then 2-1 against Italy at the Millennium Stadium are the ones that immediately spring to mind.

The World Cup Class of 2022 are going to need to usurp each of those and produce the greatest win in Wales' 146-year history if the dream we've so cherished for six decades isn't to just fizzle out almost before we've had a chance to really enjoy it properly.

Wales v England on Tuesday night is simply must-win for Gareth Bale and his team. No ifs, buts, or maybes. Three points or bust. And even then the result of the other game, USA against Iran, has to fall in Wales' favour.

READ MORE: Rob Page tells Wales players they got what they deserved and warns stars could now be dropped

The prospects of it happening, if we're brutally honest, are horribly slim. England have won the last six matches between these two nations and know they just have superior players anyway.

Even if Gareth Southgate puts out fringe figures who don't necessarily make his first XI, it merely means huge talents like Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Marcus Rashford, Trent Alexander-Arnold and others lining up against Wales, desperate to prove to the England manager they should be in the starting team for the knockout stages.

It's not a great prospect. Not whilst trying to take in such unexpectedly limp showings against USA and Iran, anyway.

A crestfallen Bale was somewhat pragmatic when, asked immediately after the demoralising Iran defeat if it was already over, he replied: "Well it's going to be difficult for us."

However, he also pointed out there is still one game left and, "We have to try and look at every positive."

He's right, too. Somehow, from somewhere deep down, Wales have to summon some inner spirit, find some Bale inspiration and produce a result which would turn the mindset of this World Cup right on its head.

Yes we're loving the occasion, the passion of the fans, finally being on the world stage. But Wales didn't wait 64 years to then meekly bow out of the tournament like this. The players came to the big stage planning to make their mark, and with their fervent and brilliant fans expecting them to.

Given the magnitude of what the World Cup represents, the wall to wall TV and newspaper coverage, this was also an opportunity to showcase the Wales football team to a whole new audience of fans here in Wales, to potentially snatch supporters away from rugby.

What no-one expected were two displays so insipid at times they made first the USA, then Iran, look like Brazil circa 1970.

Wales' players are better than this. Manager Rob Page will have to concede he got his tactics wrong in the first game, put Wales on the back foot from the start of the tournament by not picking Kieffer Moore - when the evidence of recent years amply demonstrates Wales are a better team with the big man in it.

Then against Iran, with Kieffer chosen, what was required were speed merchants to run beyond him, latch onto his flick-ons, stretch the Iranian defence and put crosses over - yet he omitted Dan James AND Brennan Johnson.

There were ways and means of doing this. Connor Roberts could have been left out, for example, and Wales go with a back four. But Page was sticking with his tried and trusted players and instead we saw Carlos Queiroz, whose side had been smashed for six by England, remember, produce a managerial masterclass to outwit Wales.

In a way this has been coming, I guess. Wales lost five out of six Nations League games building towards the World Cup, but at least were highly competitive and played with verve against stronger teams like Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland.

They've not won in their last seven matches - but they did splendidly triumph in the one that mattered most just before that, edging past Ukraine to finally banish that World Cup qualifying hoodoo.

Perhaps the delirium of that day gave us a false sense of optimism; perhaps a group that contained the USA and Iran, eminently beatable, then extended that hope.

Whatever, to barely fire a shot in anger over 200-plus minutes of World Cup football wasn't what too many anticipated.

What next then? It's difficult to see where Page goes from here because he has relied upon a core of 12-13 players who have run themselves into the ground and who, mentally and physically, might find it difficult to rally themselves for another huge game in just four days' time. What is left in the tank?

How does Page freshen the team up in a bid to find the winning formula?

The truth is we can ask for as many fresh faces and legs as we want, but are they really going to be better than the proven players the manager has gone with?

He could try four at the back to get at least one more creative force in the side for a must-win clash, but that just exposes the side defensively as we saw in the closing moments versus Iran. Foden, Grealish et al would relish the extra space provided. A flat back four would surely have been much better served versus USA and Iran, who are more limited than England?

He could certainly start one of James or Johnson, if not the pair of them, to give much-needed pace up top to try to put the frighteners on the likes of Harry Maguire, not the quickest, Eric Dier, or whoever Southgate chooses at the back.

He could go for a real wildcard and give mercurial Cardiff City talent Rubin Colwill a chance to provide the inspiration and cutting edge in the final third of the pitch that has been by and large missing thus far. Colwill was brilliant when given a recent cameo against Poland.

But doing any of the above would mean massive calls and it's hard to see Page making them. He's not exactly going to leave out Bale is he, let alone Ramsey for Colwill? Those two have misfired thus far, they know their standards are higher than we've seen, but Page also knows they are still Wales' top two talents. If Bale and Ramsey can somehow roll back the years against England, who knows?

Whatever, by hook or by crook Page needs to come up with a winning formula from somewhere and we wish him the very best in finding that.

What team would you pick against England and is the criticism of Rob Page justified? Have your say in our comments section below

England themselves were roundly written off at Mexico '86 when they lost to Portugal and drew with Morocco in their opening two games. Sir Bobby Robson shook it up for the final clash against Poland and the changes worked as England rampaged to victory, then soared past Paraguay in the last 16 to set up that infamous quarter-final with Diego Maradona and Argentina.

Yes, they had a much better group of players, Gary Lineker, John Barnes, Glenn Hoddle and Peter Beardsley among them, but it's proof things can turn around very quickly in football.

Wales do need to find change from somewhere, maybe Page needs to be bolder, because while there is one game still to go, and three points to play for, there remains a teeny glimmer of hope. Albeit we know, in reality, how small that hope is.

This has been an epic journey, these players have given the Welsh public some of their greatest days and nights. Let's never forget that. Do they have another one, the biggest of the lot, left in them on Tuesday?

Let's hope so, or at the very least that they give England a right old run for their money. It would be a crying shame if it ends with Wales bottom of the group, without a win and with only a Gareth Bale penalty to their name from three World Cup matches.

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