England Team Depth Called 'Ridiculous' - Wales Boss Bellamy
- Published
Friendly match: England v Wales
Venue: London's Wembley, London Date: October 9th Kick-off: 19:45 BST
The Wales head coach states the English squad depth is remarkable that matchmakers wouldn't pair them against the Welsh team.
Bellamy's men face England in a non-competitive match at Wembley on Thursday before their important qualifying match against Belgium next the following week.
England manager Tuchel has left the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish from his squad for the match against Wales and their World Cup qualifier against Latvia.
"The English have a ridiculous team, like the French," the coach said.
"England have a transfer market value of £1.4bn, ours is 170 million. If you were a fight promoter, you wouldn't match us up. It wouldn't be allowed."
Bellamy says ensuring Wales can compete with the star-studded opponents is a "driving force".
Bellamy added: "We don't go off values, but the reality is England have more than one team. They have multiple and the French and other nations are similarly stacked. England have many great players and that's a fact."
"One right-back went out with injury the recently and there's only 24 more to choose from! They've got over sixty players. I wish Wales to be stacked like them."
These two nations last faced each other at the 2022 World Cup in the Middle East, when England emerged as comfortable victors in a fixture before Gareth Southgate's side made it to the quarter-finals.
Southgate's successor is Tuchel, a Champions League and world club winner at the London club who has claimed domestic titles in Ligue 1 and his native Germany.
Bellamy was formerly an coach at the Belgian side and Burnley to Kompany, who replaced Tuchel at Bayern Munich.
"Tuchel's an outstanding manager - his achievements speak for themselves," he noted.
"I have a degree of understanding because the team he departed I know people who have gone in there. I gain a glimpse there of how he works and it's very impressive. "
"His tactical detail is top level and I aimed to be facing that - observe how we adjust because he will. I will get to learn from it. I'd love to get to such heights."
Welsh Team Selection
Goalkeepers: Darlow (Leeds), Adam Davies (Sheffield Utd), King (Everton).
Backline: Cabango (Swansea), Jay Dasilva (Coventry City), B. Davies (Spurs), Kpakio (Cardiff), Dylan Lawlor (Cardiff City), Mepham (West Bromwich Albion), Rodon (Leeds United), Neco Williams (Forest).
Midfielders: Ampadu (Leeds United), Brooks (the Cherries), J. James (Leicester City - on loan from Stade Rennais), Josh Sheehan (Bolton Wanderers), Sorba Thomas (Stoke City), Harry Wilson (Fulham), Joel Colwill (Cardiff City), R. Colwill (Cardiff).
Forwards: Nathan Broadhead (the Red Dragons), Liam Cullen (Swansea), Harris (Oxford United), Koumas (Birmingham City - on loan from Liverpool), Johnson (Tottenham Hotspur), Moore (Wrexham), I. Davies (Cardiff).
