ON THE PLANE [PART 1]
Photo by Lewis Mitchell [lewismitchellphoto.photoshelter.com]
Ryan March
As the dust settles on an historic World Cup qualifying campaign, Rob Page’s focus will inevitably be turning towards the finals this November. With two more Nations League fixtures to play over the next week Page will no doubt be experimenting with personnel, as he has already in our previous two, to help him shape his 23-man squad that will travel to Qatar.
But who is currently on the plane, who is in contention and who will likely miss out? Page has called up 33 different players in the last three camps and with only 23 spaces on the plane this winter, there’s some tough decisions to make.
So to save Page the hassle, we’ve had a go at picking the 23 ourselves.
Goalkeepers
This one is pretty simple, barring any injuries we’ll likely see Sunday’s hero, Wayne Hennessey along with Danny Ward and Adam Davies make the squad. Who starts between the sticks when when we kick off against the USA is still up in the air but I can’t see past those three lads. Recent call up Tom King is unlikely to make it as is potential Everton target Chris Maxwell, who hasn’t had a look in in recent years.
On the plane: Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, Adam Davies.
Defenders
Let’s start with the easy ones, Ben Davies, Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu are in, there’s no doubt about that. The three of them have all been fantastic across the two play-off games. Ben Davies is arguably our best player based on form for club and country and he’ll hopefully have a strong start to the season at Spurs under Conte. The club futures of Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu are up in the air at the moment, but likely won’t be a factor when Page comes to select his squad. Joe Rodon, despite his limited minutes at club level, has become a stalwart at the heart of our defence and Ethan Ampadu’s fine Wales career is going from strength to strength. His versatility is ideal for tournament football as well.
The next question is who backs them up? Chris Mepham has been ever present in squads for the last few years, and that likely won’t change before November. His minutes at club level have dried up and he’s another member of the squad who could really benefit from a move this summer but I can’t see a scenario where he isn’t included. He’s always been susceptible to an error but I think he’s shown in his recent appearances against Czech Republic, Poland and Netherlands, he’s an ideal option as back up.
Now it gets tough. In the most recent squad, Page chose not to call up another out and out centre back. If Ben Cabango was fit, there's a high chance he would’ve made the squad but despite his absence, Page didn’t call up Tom Lockyer off the back of an impressive season at Luton, instead Cardiff’s young prospect Oliver Denham got a late call up but hasn’t featured yet and likely won’t make the final squad unless he has a breakout few months to kick off the 2022/23 season. James Lawrence seems to be out of the conversation altogether despite a call up in November. The other option at centre back is Wales’ first male centurion, Chris Gunter.
Chris was used as a right centre back in the Poland game but he’s starting to show his age. It’s a really tough one, if anyone deserves to go to this World Cup it’s Chris Gunter and of course, his influence off the pitch can’t be underestimated but he’s facing an uncertain future at club level following his release from Charlton. It’s an important few months for Gunts and if he can find regular football in the EFL, there’s a good chance he’ll sneak on the plane, mainly for his influence in the dressing room and I think we owe that to him. Ben Cabango will be very unlucky to miss out if that is the case but he’s hopefully got many tournaments ahead of him.
The wing backs take care of themselves, Neco Williams and Connor Roberts are no-brainers, and the positive performances of Rhys Norrington-Davies will see him get a seat on the plane, he can also offer an option at LCB. Sorba Thomas will likely be the other option after his breakout season with Huddersfield. Wes Burns did feature at wing back against Poland last week but won’t be unseating any of the previous four names.
On the plane: Ben Davies, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Chris Mepham, Chris Gunter, Neco Williams, Connor Roberts, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Sorba Thomas.
Midfield
Let’s get the obvious choices out of the way… Joe Allen will be there, Aaron Ramsey will be there (injury dependent!), Harry Wilson will be there and Joe Morrell will be there. Nothing more needs to be said about Allen and Ramsey, we know how important they are to the side, Harry Wilson will be playing Premier League football again and his talents are there for all to see whilst Joe Morrell has been a revelation at international level in recent years. He may not be the most trendy and glamorous player but is the long-term successor to Joe Allen and a great option to sit beside him in a game where we might have to be more on the defensive side.
The other options are Dylan Levitt, Matt Smith and Jonny Williams but don’t write off Will Vaulks either, who will have a new club this summer and might stake a claim with a strong start to the season. I’d imagine, it’ll be a choice of two from the four. At the moment, there’s not much between Levitt and Smith. Levitt had a fantastic season in Scotland but didn’t impress in his recent performance against the Dutch. Smith has now moved on from Man City to MK Dons and hopefully will kick on next season. A lot depends on where Levitt ends up as he likely won’t get a chance at Man Utd. Based purely on his form for Dundee, Dylan Levitt edges it for now but that could change quickly.
I think the other spot will go to Jonny Williams. Despite the fact he’s playing in League Two, Jonny has finally been able to play regular football without consistent injuries and his performance against Poland was impressive, scoring his first goal in front of a full Wales end and he loved it! He’s not going to start and may not feature at all, but he’s a unique player and as I said about Chris Gunter, he’s a favourite in the dressing room and when you’re stuck in a hotel for a month, characters are important, so on that basis, he makes the squad.
On the plane: Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, Harry Wilson, Joe Morrell, Dylan Levitt, Jonny Williams.
Forwards
Gareth Bale. There’s one.
Kieffer Moore is another guarantee. He’ll finally be playing his football in the Premier League this coming season and has become a hugely influential player for us. We don’t have anyone else like him at all and his international career to date has been very impressive. On the plane.
Dan James will make the squad. He’s not had the greatest of international breaks this time around but he’s always dangerous and his raw pace and energy is a massive part of how we play. He’ll be playing regular Premier League football this coming season at Leeds and that can only be a good thing in his development.
So now there’s two more spots to fill, and there’s a lot of players who are in contention. The top of that list is Brennan Johnson. He’s had a fantastic season leading Nottingham Forest back to the Premier League and a few months of top flight football will only see him improve. He’s fast becoming our hottest prospect and will likely make the squad. That leaves Rubin Colwill, Mark Harris, Tyler Roberts, Rabbi Matondo, Nathan Broadhead and even Isaak Davies to battle it out for the final spot.
Colwill has looked mightily impressive in a Wales shirt but for whatever reason, Steve Morison hasn’t quite trusted him at club level but he’s clearly a hugely talented player. Mark Harris is another who has looked good for Wales but unless he has a fantastic start to the season with Cardiff, he’ll miss out.
Tyler Roberts hasn’t featured in a squad for a while due to injury, but if he can get fit and get some game time at Leeds, he’s in with a shout as is Rabbi Matondo. He’s impressed me in his recent appearances this month, he’s still lacking an end product but he’s showed at club level this season, it’s improving. He’s still a bit of an unknown quantity and will likely be at a new club this summer, so the jury’s out for now.
Nathan Broadhead and Isaak Davies are at the bottom of this list. Broadhead had surpise call up this month but had to withdraw due to injury. He had a relatively successful loan spell at Sunderland this season and helped lead them to promotion, but he’ll return to Everton this summer before likely heading out on loan again. It’s highly unlikely he’ll make the squad.
Isaak Davies is a wildcard right now. An impressive season with Cardiff saw many fans calling for his inclusion in recent squads and he could still feature in September’s games if he kicks off the new season in fine form. I can’t see a scenario where he makes the squad but following the World Cup campaign, he’ll most probably become a mainstay for years to come.
Don’t rule out David Brooks of course, we know the talent he has but he’s still very early into his recovery and the World Cup will come too soon for him. It’ll just be nice see him playing in any capacity this season.
So that all important final spot for me, at the moment, falls to Rubin Colwill. He was a surprising addition to the Euro 2020 squad without playing much senior football so Rob Page and his staff clearly rate him highly and he’s only improved since. He’s far from the finished article but is one of our most exciting prospects going forward.
On the plane: Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore, Dan James, Brennan Johnson, Rubin Colwill.
There’s still lots of football to be played and another international break in September, so things can still change. We’ll revisit our picks in September after the Nations League campaign finishes.
The Alternative Wales 23-man squad as of June 2022: Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, Adam Davies; Ben Davies, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Chris Mepham, Chris Gunter, Neco Williams, Connor Roberts, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Sorba Thomas; Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, Harry Wilson, Joe Morrell, Dylan Levitt, Jonny Williams; Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore, Dan James, Brennan Johnson, Rubin Colwill.