MX23RW : Saturday, April 27 05:03:59| >> :600:2628385:2628385:

Five talking points from Wales's Euro 2020 campaign

Five talking points from Wales's Euro 2020 campaign
© Reuters
Wales went out in the last-16 of the competition following a 4-0 defeat to Denmark.

Wales bowed out of Euro 2020 by losing 4-0 to Denmark in the round-of-16 on Saturday.

The Dragons progressed from a tough group after trips to Baku and Rome, but were no match for Denmark in Amsterdam.

Here, the PA news agency looks at five things learned from Wales' Euro 2020 journey.

Bale not the force of 2016

Italy v Wales – UEFA Euro 2020 – Group A – Stadio Olimpico
Wales talisman Gareth Bale struggled to hit the heights he did at Euro 2016 (Marco Iacobucci/PA)

There were flashes – especially in the 2-0 defeat of Turkey – but Euro 2020 showed what most suspected when it came to Gareth Bale. He was not the rampaging force of five years ago when Wales reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016. Nearing his 32nd birthday, the Real Madrid forward has had to adapt his game and those blistering bursts have become far less frequent. Bale still oozes quality and his brilliance set up both goals in beating Turkey. But he has now gone 15 Wales games without scoring, and his wild penalty miss against Turkey summed up his fortunes in front of goal.

Page proved safe pair of hands

Netherlands Wales Denmark Euro 2020 Soccer
Robert Page took the Wales job in difficult circumstances (Peter Dejong/AP)

Robert Page became Wales boss in tough circumstances. Page has been in charge since November with Ryan Giggs on leave to face court charges, which he denies. The former Wales captain knows many of the younger players from his time with the Under-21s and is a popular figure. Page spoke well to the media at Euro 2020 but had no answers when Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand tweaked his tactics after Wales had made a positive start in Amsterdam. The question for Football Association of Wales bosses is what happens next with the next World Cup qualifiers just over two months away and Giggs' court case not heard until January.

Young players offer promise

Azerbaijan Turkey Wales Euro 2020 Soccer
Connor Roberts scored in Wales' 2-0 victory against Turkey (Naomi Baker/AP)

Several Wales players enhanced their reputation at Euro 2020. Full-back Connor Roberts scored against Turkey and brought huge energy before being cut down by injury in Amsterdam. Joe Rodon was impressive in central defence and will hope to press on at Tottenham next season. Daniel James' pace and direct approach made him an attacking threat. Others did not get as many minutes as they would have wanted. But Wales boasted the third youngest squad in the tournament and will be better for the experience. The problem for Welsh football is that Bale and Aaron Ramsey are not getting any younger and filling that eventual void presents a huge challenge.

More minutes please

Italy Wales Euro 2020 Soccer
Joe Morrell (right) played every game for Wales at Euro 2020 without appearing for his club Luton since February (Alberto Lingria/AP)

Page made the point after Wales' exit that his players needed more domestic game time. Goalkeeper Danny Ward has yet to play a Premier League game in three years at Leicester. Centre-back pairing Rodon and Chris Mepham had limited action at Tottenham and Bournemouth last term. Midfielder Joe Morrell had not played for Luton since February. Even their leading lights, Bale and Ramsey, only featured intermittently for Spurs and Juventus respectively. It was a situation that eventually caught up with Wales as they simply ran out of steam.

Ward the undisputed number one

Azerbaijan Turkey Wales Euro 2020 Soccer
Leicester's Danny Ward became Wales' undisputed first-choice goalkeeper at Euro 2020 (Darko Vojinovic/AP)

Danny Ward has waited a long time to don the Wales gloves on a consistent basis. Wayne Hennessey has been the number one goalkeeper for well over a decade and won 96 caps. But Ward got the nod at Euro 2020 after performing well in the first two World Cup qualifiers in March. Ward has made only 14 first-team appearances in three seasons at Leicester but did not let that stop him excelling at the Euros. The 28-year-old was a formidable last barrier, making crucial stops in the three group games against Switzerland, Turkey and Italy. Ward was badly exposed against Denmark and has a hold on the number one jersey for now.

ID:452923: cacheID:452923:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:11350:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Wales attacker Gareth Bale pictured at Euro 2020 on June 16, 2021
Read Next:
Gareth Bale: 'I will play for Wales until I retire'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1pm
Bublik
Carballes Baena
10am
Auger-Aliassime
Mannarino
10am
Bautista Agut
Khachanov
10am
Cachin
Tiafoe
10am
De Minaur
Nadal
10am
Dimitrov
Mensik
10am
Jarry
Cobolli
10am
Kecmanovic
Ruud
10am
Kotov
Thompson
10am
Lehecka
Medjedovic
10am
Machac
Shelton
10am
Medvedev
Arnaldi
10am
Monteiro
Tsitsipas
10am
Norrie
Fonseca
10am
Purcell
Korda
10am
Sinner
Sonego
10am
Azarenka
Sorribes Tormo
10am
Annie Fernandez
Jabeur
10am
Gauff
Yastremska
10am
Haddad Maia
Navarro
10am
Keys
Samsonova
10am
Ostapenko
Lourdes Carle
10am
Stephens
Sakkari
10am
Swiatek
Cirstea
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!