Wales boss Craig Bellamy on Turkey, Iceland and the genius of the UEFA Nations League – interview | UEFA Nations League

New Wales boss Craig Bellamy credits the UEFA Nations League format with allowing him to “harvest on the ground” as a coach, competitive football honing his side for promotion – and even bigger challenges ahead.

Signed in July, the former Norwich, Newcastle, Liverpool and Man City striker has led his side unbeaten through the opening four days of the competition and is eyeing promotion to the A-League as they face a double-double against section leaders Türkiye and the third. -ranked Iceland. The Nations League was designed to replace friendlies on the calendar and allow teams meaningful competition against teams of a similar standard between European Qualifiers for the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup, and in that regard, 45-year-old Bellamy , says he delivered.

Permutations: Who can be promoted? Who could be relegated?

On the progress of Wales so far

I was prepared for all scenarios. Maybe a slow start – quite common. Perhaps a disastrous start – it could also be quite common. But after the first few days, I said, ‘These (guys) are good and they’re able to take what you’re looking for.’ I’m not changing the rules of football, not even by a long shot. It’s just being able to provide certain snippets of messages and certain analysis on what we think will benefit the group. And the way they’ve been able to take it and move forward with it is really a credit to them. Going four games undefeated was something I wasn’t really looking at.

There will be hard times. I’m waiting for those hard times – they haven’t come yet, but I know they’re coming, they have to happen, because where I see the goal, where I see us finish – we have to have hard times.

In the next League of Nations meeting with Turkey

It is a very good game to play against a top nation like Türkiye with a top manager. Being in Türkiye, we are fully prepared for what the atmosphere will be like. My (mind) wonders at my own experiences playing there as well; the first 15, 20 minutes will be hard. Don’t expect any favors. It won’t happen. Don’t expect 50/50 (that) you will come out with the ball. It won’t happen. Everyone will be awake, so we’ll have to win the hard way.

But that’s also the emotion. I feel like we’re going to see who we really are sometimes. It will be a very tough game, but I see it as a really interesting game. Türkiye: you go there and their hunger for football, their passion for football, allows you to be excited.

About the potential promotion against Iceland

(Turkey and Iceland are two) completely different oppositions, which was great at this Nations League, I was really impressed with it. UEFA has done an incredible job. It’s such a good format. With me being the manager, in my first period, it really allowed me to hit the ground running, because it’s competitive. We want to qualify for Group A. Turkey, Iceland, Montenegro – they all want to get into Group A. So we’re going as hard as we can, as hard as we all can to make it. They will, now there is a different format with the play-offs. So let’s hope we can be that one.

(Iceland’s) counter-attacking ability is really exceptional because of the profile of the players they have. A country of 300 thousand people – they had that wave in the early 2000s where they built a lot of football grounds, they had a big investment boom, not only in men, but also in women. And the success they have had through this, for a country of their size, they are an example for every country. The way they work and how hard they work for each other – you’ll never see Iceland really being overturned, they’re always involved in a game.

About how he goes to work

I liked it. It brought out another side of me. But also because I spent so many years away from Wales, it allowed me to find peace with myself. Many of my happiest memories as a child were (of) living in Wales. We are always looking for our happiest memories. We’d all love to be that seven, eight-year-old kid again.

I believe that young children have the opportunity to play this great game and I strongly believe that they can have a very big impact in this as well. This is very important to me, that I am not only the manager of the first team, but I help to grow the game: for girls, boys, you name it – anyone involved in football. There’s a lot of things I don’t have to do, but I’ll go and do them and I’m happy to go and do them because I see it as an opportunity (to be able to) give back to the best game in the world .