Are Ryan Giggs' Wales squad ready for action?
- Published
Ryan Giggs was appointed Wales manager in January 2018
International friendly: Wales v Trinidad & Tobago |
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Venue: Racecourse Stadium, Wrexham Date: Wednesday, 20 March Kick-off: 19:45 GMT |
Coverage: Live on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app, plus live text commentary; also highlights on BBC One Wales |
Boss Ryan Giggs is determined to build a squad rather than a team as Wales prepare a bid to reach Euro 2020.
The qualifying campaign begins against Slovakia in Cardiff on 24 March.
Giggs told the latest Elis James podcast he is desperate to ensure Wales have depth so they can cope with the demands of international games.
"I really want that competitiveness in the squad which perhaps has been missing in the past," the Wales manager told BBC Sport Wales.
"When you have players not playing regularly, or playing under-23 football, they can get up for one game, but then the second game is difficult.
"We found that against Denmark a little bit. If I feel the need to make three or four changes - I want to be able to freshen it up a bit."
Giggs has handed out a number of debuts during his 14-month reign as he attempts to make sure Wales are not over-reliant on their frontline players.
His ideal scenario is to have a squad made up of players who are getting first-team football on a consistent basis.
How far away is that from reality? We take a look at the 31-man squad named by Giggs for Slovakia and the friendly with Trinidad and Tobago in Wrexham four days earlier to see if they are playing regularly.
Goalkeepers
WAYNE HENNESSEY
The Crystal Palace man made his first Premier League appearance in seven weeks against Burnley earlier this month but was not even on the bench in their next game. Wales' number one has played 20 club games this season.
Is he a regular? No.
Wayne Hennessey has played 18 Premier League games this season
DANNY WARD
Ward has played five cup games for Leicester since joining the Foxes from Liverpool last summer. His most recent appearance was in the FA Cup loss to Newport County in early January.
Is he a regular? No.
ADAM DAVIES
The 26-year-old is firmly established as Barnsley's first-choice keeper, having made 40 appearances for the League One promotion hopefuls this season.
Is he a regular? Yes.
CHRIS MAXWELL
The former Wrexham man joined Charlton on loan in January after losing his place in the Preston side, but is yet to feature for the London club. Maxwell made 11 appearances for Preston earlier this season.
Is he a regular? No.
Defenders
ASHLEY WILLIAMS
Williams has played 31 games for Stoke this season after joining on loan from Everton. Wales' skipper has not started a game since February 2, however.
Is he a regular? Not of late.
CHRIS GUNTER
Wales' most-capped player has only played once for Reading since the end of January. Gunter has made 17 Royals appearances this season.
Is he a regular? No.
NEIL TAYLOR
Former Swansea and Wrexham left-back has featured in Aston Villa's past four games. In all Taylor has played 26 times in 2018-19.
Is he a regular? Has been recently.
Ben Davies has 43 Wales caps
BEN DAVIES
Ex-Swansea defender has returned to action in recent weeks after a spell out with a groin injury, featuring in three of Tottenham's past five games. He has played 29 games for Spurs this season.
Is he a regular? When fit yes.
CONNOR ROBERTS
The Swansea full-back has racked up 44 appearances already this season - including five for Wales - having established himself at first-team level.
Is he a regular? Yes.
JAMES LAWRENCE
The central defender, a shock call-up to the Wales squad in November, has played in 21 of Anderlecht's 37 matches this season, including the last eight.
Is he a regular? Recently yes.
ETHAN AMPADU
Amapdu, who can play in defence or midfield, has made five Chelsea appearances this season and four for Wales. His last outing was as a substitute in Chelsea's Europa League win over Malmo last month.
Is he a regular? No.
TOM LOCKYER
The Bristol Rovers captain is a regular for the League One club, and has racked up 40 appearances so far this season.
Is he a regular? Yes.
CHRIS MEPHAM
The centre-back is finding his feet at Bournemouth after joining the Premier League club from Brentford in January. Mepham, 21, has started the Cherries' past five games.
Is he a regular? Getting there.
Bournemouth paid Brentford a reported £12m fee for Chris Mepham
PAUL DUMMETT
The Newcastle defender has had injury problems this season but has managed 19 club appearances and has featured in the past four games. Timely for Wales.
Is he a regular? No.
DECLAN JOHN
John has not played as much as he would have liked since joining Swansea from Rangers last August. His recent substitute appearance against Manchester City was his 11th in Swans colours.
Is he a regular? No.
Midfielders:
RYAN HEDGES
The winger, 23, has made 19 appearances for Barnsley so far this season.
Is he a regular? No.
JOE ALLEN
The ex-Liverpool man has been a regular for Stoke this season, racking up 38 appearances to date. He has not missed a minute of league action since being substituted at Rotherham in September.
Is he a regular? Very much so.
DAVID BROOKS
Brooks returned to action at the beginning of March after a month out with an ankle injury. Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe said Brooks, who has made 28 club appearances this season, was fatigued after taking him off in the recent win at Huddersfield.
Is he a regular? When fit, yes.
BEN WOODBURN
Woodburn joined Sheffield United on a season-long loan last August but was recalled by Liverpool in January having made only a handful of appearances for the Blades. He has been playing under-23 football for the Reds in recent weeks.
Is he a regular? No.
HARRY WILSON
The 21-year-old wideman has been a star performer for Derby this season having joined the Rams on loan from Liverpool, racking up 37 Derby appearances so far.
Is he a regular? Yes.
Aaron Ramsey will join Juventus on a free transfer this summer
AARON RAMSEY
Ramsey may be heading to Juventus this summer, but he has played plenty of football for Arsenal this season. He played 90 minutes in the recent 2-0 win over Manchester United.
Is he a regular? Yes.
MATT SMITH
The Manchester City teenager is enjoying a positive loan spell with FC Twente. He has played 26 games for the Dutch second-tier club.
Is he a regular? Yes.
LEE EVANS
Ex-Newport midfielder Evans has played plenty of football for Wigan since joining from Sheffield United last August. He has made more than 30 appearances in total this term.
Is he a regular? Yes.
DANIEL JAMES
The 21-year-old wideman has announced himself at Swansea this season, making 29 appearances under Graham Potter. He has been a consistent starter in recent months.
Is he a regular? Yes.
WILL VAULKS
The new man in this Wales squad will hope for an international chance having enjoyed a strong season at Rotherham. The Millers skipper has made 37 appearances but is currently suspended.
Is he a regular? Yes.
GEORGE THOMAS
The on-loan Leicester youngster has enjoyed plenty of game time during his season-long spell at Scunthorpe, where he has made 35 appearances to date.
Is he a regular? Yes.
Forwards:
RABBI MATONDO
Having left Manchester City in January without making a senior appearance, Matondo has already played a handful of times for German club Schalke.
Is he a regular? No.
SAM VOKES
Vokes has scored once in six appearances since joining Stoke from Burnley in January, but has missed three games with a groin problem. He returned for their draw with Reading at the weekend.
Is he a regular? Likely to be when fit.
Sam Vokes joined Stoke from Burnley in January with Peter Crouch moving the other way
TOM LAWRENCE
Lawrence returned after a month out for Derby last week, but boss Frank Lampard said afterwards the forward was "not right". Lawrence, who has played 27 Rams games this season, has had an ankle problem.
Is he a regular? Yes.
GARETH BALE
Bale was back on the Real Madrid training ground last week after an ankle problem and scored in Zinedine Zidane's first game since retaking charge. The Wales talisman has played 35 Real games this season, scoring 14 goals.
Is he a regular? Yes.
TYLER ROBERTS
Roberts is enjoying life as part of a Leeds side chasing promotion to the Premier League. The 20-year-old has played 24 games under Marcelo Bielsa, scoring three goals.
Is he a regular? He is usually involved.