Faltering Belgium leave Craig Bellamy dreaming of automatic World Cup spot

Wales and Belgium have become such familiar opponents that Kevin De Bruyne once remarked he was bored of playing against the Welsh. Wales have won two of the ten meetings since 2013 — most famously in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals, one of those good times — but threw away their good work in coming back from 3-0 down only to lose 4-3 in Brussels in June. Bellamy waved his hand to show how his heart-rate monitor on his wrist went haywire that night. “My stress levels, it was like spiking everywhere,” he said.

The Wales head coach, 46, can draw on several positives. On paper, Belgium’s squad is far stronger, but they have struggled to find a replacement for the injured striker Romelu Lukaku, and Leandro Trossard, of Arsenal, is likely to be moved wide after his makeshift role in Friday’s stalemate against the Macedonians.

Even if Belgium keep their nose in front of Wales, their penultimate match will be on a plastic pitch away to Kazakhstan in sub-zero conditions. “It might be minus 20, there is a lot of football to come,” Bellamy said. “If we win, we are in a better position. We’re not Nostradamuses. In international football, expect the unexpected.”

Wales also have a safety net of a guaranteed place in the play-offs, owing to winning their Nations League group B4. Bellamy was appointed after a section of fans turned on Rob Page during a dire run last year. The former Newcastle United, Manchester City and Liverpool forward breezed in and emphasised a handful of non-negotiables for his squad — including not swapping shirts, as he argues they worked too hard to give them away.

Equally, shirts are never to be left on the dressing-room floor where someone can trample over the badge. Bellamy also banned mobile phones at dinner and insists that players should show consideration to team-mates — for example those arriving early for training sessions should park their car further away from the entrance so those following are not delayed.

On the pitch, he has demanded greater intensity and for his players never to wave their hands despondently when things are going wrong. Body language is important for Bellamy, largely because he does not want them to become frustrated as he sometimes did as a player. “I only ever see good,” he said. “There was a period when I only ever saw the other side. Positivity is something I have to have around me. Even from your coaches, players’ body language, you see I’m very big on how you present yourself.”

Bellamy is relatively relaxed about time-keeping and dress code. That is in contrast to one predecessor, Ryan Giggs, who banned the players from wearing baseball caps and insisted they were smartly dressed and always early for team meetings and meals.

Bellamy lost out to Giggs for the role in January 2018 and was so angry that he gave a decision-maker a piece of his mind. He thought his digital presentation deserved to win the day, although the Welsh FA official took his reaction to the rejection as evidence it had made the right decision because of worries about his combustible personality.

With hindsight, Bellamy might say that he benefited in that period. He learnt about coaching, working under Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and Burnley, and often strays into lengthy answers about tactics and team shape, trying to highlight his knowledge. Piet Cremers, his assistant, also worked under Kompany at Burnley and was an analyst for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Off the pitch Bellamy has tried to control his emotions. His chatty and engaging style underlines he is a changed man, which is important as he would be keen on taking a club job next summer.

The chances of an offer will be greater if Wales reach the biggest stage and perform better than they did in Qatar, where they limped out at the group stage. “If we win all three, we claim top spot. Same for Belgium and North Macedonia,” he said. “Exactly where we all wanted to be. You just have to embrace it.”

Wales v Belgium

World Cup qualifier

Monday, 7.45pm

TV Live on BBC 3 and iPlayer

Wales (possible; 4-2-3-1): K Darlow — N Williams, C Mepham, J Rodon, B Davies — E Ampadu, J James — D Brooks, H Wilson, S Thomas — B Johnson.

Click here to read article