England Team Strength Called 'Ridiculous' - Welsh Manager Bellamy
- Published
International friendly: England v Wales
Venue: Wembley Stadium, the capital Date: October 9th Kick-off: 19:45 BST
The Wales head coach states England's player pool is so impressive that matchmakers would not pair them against the Welsh team.
The Welsh squad meet England in a non-competitive match at the national stadium on this Thursday before their crucial qualifying match against Belgium next the following week.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has left the likes of Jude 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 team, like France," Bellamy remarked.
"England have a market valuation of £1.4bn, ours is 170 million. If you were a boxing promoter, you would not match us up. That wouldn't be permitted."
He explains ensuring Wales can compete with the talented opponents is a "driving force".
Bellamy added: "We don't go off market prices, but the reality is England don't just have a single lineup. They have multiple and the French and others are similarly stacked. They have many top talents and that's a fact."
"A defender went out with injury the other day and there are two dozen others to go! They've got 60-odd footballers. I wish us to be well-equipped similarly."
These two nations last faced each other at the 2022 World Cup in the Middle East, when the English emerged as comfortable victors in a fixture before Gareth Southgate's side made it to the quarter-finals.
The new manager is Thomas Tuchel, a European and Fifa Club World Cup winner at the London club who has claimed league championships in France and his native Germany.
Bellamy was previously an assistant at the Belgian side and the English club to Kompany, who replaced him at the German giants.
"He's an outstanding manager - his record speak for themselves," he added.
"I have some sort of insight because the club he left I am familiar with people who have gone in there. I get a glimpse from that of how he works and it's very impressive. "
"His strategic planning is top level and I aimed to be facing that - observe how we adjust because he will. I will get to learn from that. I'd love to reach such heights."
Wales Squad List
Goalkeepers: Darlow (Leeds United), Davies (Sheffield Utd), King (Everton).
Defenders: Cabango (Swansea), Jay Dasilva (Coventry City), B. Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Kpakio (Cardiff), Lawlor (Cardiff), Mepham (West Bromwich Albion), Rodon (Leeds United), Neco Williams (Forest).
Midfielders: Ampadu (Leeds), Brooks (the Cherries), J. James (Leicester - on loan from Rennes), Josh Sheehan (Bolton Wanderers), Sorba Thomas (Stoke), Harry Wilson (Fulham), J. Colwill (Cardiff City), R. Colwill (Cardiff).
Forwards: Nathan Broadhead (the Red Dragons), Liam Cullen (Swansea City), Harris (Oxford United), Koumas (Birmingham City - loaned by Liverpool), Johnson (Spurs), Kieffer Moore (Wrexham), I. Davies (Cardiff).
