Craig Bellamy hopes longer training camp can help Wales extend unbeaten run
Wales hope to reap the benefit of an extended training camp for their World Cup qualifying double header after recognising June was where they came unstuck in their failed Euro 2024 campaign.
Wales, who host Liechtenstein in Group J on Friday before facing Belgium on Monday, lost crunch matches against Armenia and Turkey in June 2023 before missing out on last summer's finals after a playoff defeat to Poland.
Wales had a four-day training camp before those June defeats but in January this year Craig Bellamy and his Wales staff planned to increase their preparations to enhance their fitness levels at the end of the season.
Wales organised a nine-day camp last month, half of which was at their Vale Resort base on the outskirts of Cardiff, the other half at the La Finca resort near Alicante, Spain, to prevent a physical drop-off across the team.
Bellamy has said the number of squad members playing in the English Football League presents challenges, because the final games of the regular Championship season were on 4 May, more than a month before the visit of Liechtenstein to Cardiff, for which Wales will be without the Leeds winger Daniel James through illness.
Bellamy said such a long break is 'not acceptable' for international football and felt the training camp enabled his players' muscles not to 'shut down'. He said: 'It's not designed for international football so we have to interrupt their break but they [the players] completely understand because we need to keep them moving. We have been able to do that and I feel that has been beneficial, especially this week. I feel like we're in very good shape leading into this one.
The Wales manager, who is unbeaten in eight matches since his first game last September, said Wales cannot afford to disrespect Liechtenstein, who are 205th in the Fifa rankings. 'Do I understand people looking past it [Friday's game]? Of course I do,' Bellamy said. 'Do I understand that people believe we should win? Of course I do. But I was up late last night, I didn't sleep. Does that tell you something? I treat every team the same. I've watched the same amount of Liechtenstein as I have of everybody else.
'I honestly believe if you disrespect the game, it will catch you out. The same messages have been fed to the players as well. We have to be us. Fight for every ball. Recovery runs. Reactions. We have to be consistent no matter who we're playing against. The top teams are the ones that are consistent.'
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Bellamy said his side must be patient in order to extend their unbeaten run. 'We have to enjoy it because that's how we get a chance to improve,' he added. 'No frustration, no highs and lows, no rollercoaster rides. We have to remain consistent. If we have to win this game in the 89th minute, we'll win it in the 89th minute.'
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