The Euro 2016 finals was a momentous tournament for Wales, the first time the Dragons had qualified for a major tournament since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden and a campaign which saw them reach the semi-finals… hearts broken by a 2-0 defeat to eventual champions Portugal.
It took goals from two former Manchester United aces, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, to quash Welsh hopes in 2016 but four years on Wales are back amongst the European elite preparing for another crack at a major tournament… but it’s been a huge rebuilding task for manager Ryan Giggs in the build-up to Euro 2020.
With just 100 days to go before Wales’ opener against Switzerland on 13 June only five members of the 2016 squad can, barring injury, consider themselves nailed on to make the plane to Baku.
Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale, Juventus’ Aaron Ramsey, Stoke midfielder Joe Allen and two goalkeepers, Wayne Hennessey and Danny Ward, appear to be certainties to make Giggs’ final 23. But even Hennessey and Ward are short of game time, being very much the back-up keepers for Crystal Palace and Leicester respectively in the Premier League this season.
Jonny Williams at Charlton and Tottenham’s Ben Davies are also likely to figure in Giggs’ plans, but very few of the remaining 2016 heroes will be confident of nailing down a place.
Five members of the 2016 squad – David Edwards, David Cotterill, James Collins, David Vaughan and Simon Church – have now retired from top-level football and none of the other 11 members have been first-choice players in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. Although Edwards captains League One-side Shrewsbury Town, he retired from international football in March 2018.
At full-back Cardiff’s Jazz Richards, Reading’s Chris Gunter and Aston Villa’s Neil Taylor have seen Davies and Swansea’s Connor Roberts ahead of them in the pecking order.
While centre-backs Ashley Williams and James Chester also find themselves in the same situation, with Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham, Swansea’s Joe Rodon, Den Haag’s James Lawrence and Tom Lockyer of Bristol Rovers seemingly ahead of them in Giggs’ eyes.
Chester was troubled by knee and hamstring problems for most of the qualifying campaign but a January move from Aston Villa to Championship-side Stoke has seen him return to action and if fully fit his experience would probably earn him a place on the plane.
Williams, captain in 2016 and a mainstay at the back during Bristol City’s bid for promotion this season, could also get the nod for the same reason as Chester but at 35 he won’t be confident after only being a squad member during qualifying.
Goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams, now on loan at Dunfermline Athletic from Hamilton Academical in Scotland, would seem to be out of the picture completely with Stoke’s Adam Davies, Tom King of Newport, Chris Maxwell at Hibernian and Macclesfield’s Owen Evans all ahead of him in the race for the third goalkeeping berth.
George Williams, Andy King and Joe Ledley were all absent from the qualifying squads. King, at 31, has seen little action at Huddersfield Town, while Williams is in a similar situation at Forest Green Rovers. Ledley, whose combative performances at Euro 2016 played such a vital part in Wales’ success, has played very little football since leaving Derby two seasons ago and the 33-year-old has recently joined Australian side Newcastle Jets, no doubt hoping he can somehow persuade Giggs to take a chance on him.
That leaves the two front men at Euro 2016, whose vital goals spurred Wales on to the last four in France. Sam Vokes, who left Burnley for Stoke in January 2019, has seen Wigan’s Kieffer Moore move ahead of him during the qualifying campaign, while Hal Robson-Kanu retired from the international scene after being left out of Giggs’ squad for the Nations League qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland and Denmark in August 2018.
But, after a resurgence in form during West Brom’s march to the top of the Championship table, Robson-Kanu has expressed an interest in returning to the international scene and could be a dark horse to make Giggs’ final 23, although with the likes of Manchester United’s Dan James and Bournemouth’s Harry Wilson and David Brooks also vying for creative roles he’ll have to go some way to convince Giggs of his merits.
With 23 places up for grabs Bale, Ramsey, Allen, Hennessey and Ward are virtual certainties to make the plane. Jonny Williams, Davies and Vokes are probables, while Chester, Taylor and Gunter or Richards have strong claims. But Fon Williams, King, George Williams and Ledley are extremely unlikely to figure in Giggs’ plans.
That leaves Robson-Kanu and 2016 skipper Ashley Williams. Fantastic servants for the Dragons and heroes of the last campaign, they both find themselves right on the fringes of the squad. Should they stay or should they go? And who out of Taylor, Gunter and Richards will miss out? Could it possibly be Gunter, Wales’ record cap-holder with 96 appearances for the Dragons?
Wales’ Euro 2020 Matches
13 June 2020: Wales v Switzerland
Baku Olympic Stadium, 2pm
17 June 2020: Wales v Turkey
Baku Olympic Stadium, 5pm
21 June: Italy v Wales
Stadio Olimpico Rome, 5pm
