Wales will resume the Nations League campaign at home in Cardiff’s Netherlands on Wednesday after passing the World Cup qualifiers.
Robert Page’s team launched the League A campaign last week with a 2-1 defeat in Poland. Meanwhile, the Netherlands defeated Belgium 4-1.
Here, PA news agencies cover the main issues regarding games.
World Cup hangover?
Dathliadau 📸#TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/lBRQ9IlGgF
— Wales 🏴. June 7, 2022
Wales had a lot of painful heads on Monday when the country celebrated its arrival at the World Cup for the first time in 64 years. The Welsh players had a party late into the night when the team headed to Gareth Bale’s Elevens Bar in Cardiff city centre. Page said his team deserves a celebration, but now hopes there is no hangover against the Netherlands.
Second string
Page defended Shadowside in Poland last week. The opening round of the Nations League took place just four days before the World Cup deciding match against Ukraine.
The current depth to Wales was reflected in the impressive performance, but he lost 2-1 with two goals in the second half of Poland. After a huge effort against Ukraine on Sunday, more changes are expected and some fringe players are set to get another chance.
Star of hope
Brennan Johnson has not yet established himself as a Welsh regular, but it’s only a matter of time.
The talented 21-year-old forward had a season to remember at club level, helping Nottingham Forest enter the Premier League with 19 goals and 10 assists. Johnson is targeting the starting point for the World Cup in Qatar and the bid is expected to begin against the Netherlands.
King louis
Louis van Gaal is currently playing for the third time as a Dutch manager and will lead them in the second World Cup in November.
A former Manchester United boss revealed in April that he had been treated for prostate cancer. However, van Gaal managed to return to the undefeated Dutch hotseat in 10 games with 7 wins and 3 draws.
Dutch rule
Wales lost all eight games against the Netherlands.
The Dutch started dominating in the World Cup qualifying double before Italy ’90 and repeated it before France ’98. A 3-1 victory in Cardiff was followed by a 7-1 rout in Eindhoven. The Netherlands has also won four friendly relations between the two countries. Most recently, it was a 3-2 success at Cardiff in November 2015.
