A 2nd place finish in Group B of the qualifiers has seen Wales qualify for the group stage of the competition this campaign. They were drawn in Group B of the group stage as well alongside England, Russia and Slovakia.
They have a great chance of going into the next stage from this relatively easy group but will have to be at their best for all three games in the group stage. Let’s take a closer look at predicted Euro 2016 progression.
Wales Euro16 Squad:
Manager: Chris Coleman
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace), Danny Ward (Liverpool), Owain Fon Williams (Inverness).
Defenders: Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Neil Taylor (Swansea City), Chris Gunter (Reading), Ashley Williams (Swansea), James Chester (West Brom), Ashley Richards (Fulham), Paul Dummett (Newcastle), Adam Henley (Blackburn), Adam Matthews (Sunderland), James Collins (West Ham).
Midfielders: Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Joe Ledley (Crystal Palace), David Vaughan (Nottingham Forest), Joe Allen (Liverpool), David Cotterill (Birmingham City), Jonathan Williams (Crystal Palace), George Williams (Fulham), Andy King (Leicester), Emyr Huws (Wigan), Dave Edwards (Wolves).
Forwards: Hal Robson-Kanu (Reading), Sam Vokes (Burnley), Tom Bradshaw (Walsall), Tom Lawrence (Leicester), Simon Church (Nottingham Forest), Wes Burns (Walsall), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid).
Wales will enter Euro 2016 with all their players fit and available for the tournament including their big guns from Premier League and certain Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale.
Chris Coleman has a number of top class mid-fielders to choose from for the three games and the depth in the squad can also help them when they need to turn things around under pressure.
The likes of Bale will have to take up the bulk of the activities in the final third, however, with a decent squad, Wales will not be an easy team to beat.
Key Players:
Gareth Bale – The star winger from Real Madrid, Bale, has been exceptional in the domestic season having taken the over the responsibilities from Ronaldo who missed the last few games for the club. He will be the impact player for Wales and can easily be the difference between winning and losing in crunch games.
Aaron Ramsey – The Gunners mid-fielder missed most of the start of the season but cemented his place in Arsenal’s mid-field recently. He is a player who can control things in the mid-field and if he can be at the top of his game, Wales will surely profit from him.
Wildcard:
Jonathan Williams – The 22-year old star has been one of the most consistent players for Crystal Palace in the recent seasons. The winger already has 2 caps for his country in the qualifiers and will act as an impact substitute for Coleman in the group-stage. He has the ability to make things happen and can help the team while chasing a game.
Tactical Setup
Coleman will have to think hard before he sets his defensive 3-5-2 line-up for the group-stage. It worked until the qualifiers, however, against big teams we may see a different approach from the Welsh side.
Known to use 3 at the back with two wing backs, Chester, Williams and Davis are expected to make the defensive line while Gunter and Taylor act as wing-backs.
Ramsey and Allen will control the mid-field while Gareth Bale will be partnered by Kanu in the final third.
The current Wales team is known for their quick turn from defense to attack and the way they use their pace on the flanks to get the better of the opponents and if they can open defenses up from the middle, they have a great chance at qualification.
Fixtures:
Slovakia (11 June), England (16 June), Russia (20 June)
How far can they go?
If the performances in the qualifiers are anything to go by, Wales will need Gareth Bale to be at his brilliant best to out-score opponents. However, they have been hard to break down at the back as well and will surely make life difficult for the teams in the group.
With England favorites to top the group, Wales will fight it out with Russia and may be even Slovakia for the 2nd spot and if they can get the better of one of the two teams at least, they have a great chance of qualification. However, it is hard to see them win their knock-out fixture with some quality teams waiting for them.
Image Credit: Getty, Lineupbuilder