Five key talking points from Wales first round of World Cup qualifiers.
Wales celebrate after scoring their third goal. Wales v Kazakhstan in FIFA Women's World Cup Qualifier at Parc y Scarlets on the 17th September 2021. Credit: Lewis Mitchell
Wales got their World Cup qualification campaign off to a perfect start by winning their opening two games against Kazakhstan and Estonia.
The group opener saw them trash Kazakhstan 6-0 in front of the Red Wall at Parc y Scarlets before they picked up an important 1-0 win against a tricky Estonia team.
The two wins sees Gemma Grainger’s side go second in Group I behind group favourites France, who have a greater goal difference.
We take a look at the five key talking points from the latest round of international fixtures.
Perfect start
For the first time in the history of the women’s national team Wales kicked off a qualification campaign with back to back home wins.
Whilst a a perfect start was to be expected against lower ranked opposition Grainger’s side did the job against two sides who put everyone behind the ball.
Having put Kazakhstan to the sword it was a much more difficult test in Parnu against Estionia.
Natasha Harding’s goal on five minutes was the only thing that separated the two sides after 90 minutes.
Speaking after the victory Grainger admitted that her side were frustrated to only win by a single goal: “We are always going to learn from it.
“I spoke to the players after the game and ‘You cant expect to win every game of international football 6-0, that’s not how the game works.'”
“For us to feel frustrated after those kind of games is exactly the feeling that I want because we should feel frustrated, but knowing that we are frustrated because we believe that we are better.
Creating plenty of chances
Chance creation was no problem for Wales this month. Against Kazakhstan they had 31 efforts on goal and were able to find the back of the net six times.
Kayleigh Green benefited the most from Wales’ dominant home performance getting on the scoresheet twice against the 82nd ranked nation in the world.
Gemma Evans and Ceri Holland also took advantage of their sides attacking onslaught as they both notched their first international goals.
Against Estonia however Wales were not as clinical. Whilst their attacking remind relentless they only managed to score once from 23 efforts against Jarmo Matikainen’s side.
They’ll need to be more efficient in from of goal in their next game away to Slovenia who theyll will be competing with for the play off spot.
Rachel Rowe’s new role
Since Grainger has taken the reins as Wales boss Rachel Rowe has been regularly deployed at left back.
This is a different role to the one she plays at club level for Reading, where she is often a part of Kelly Chamber’s midfield.
Despite the new role Rowe’s influence on the game hasn’t wavered. Against Kazakhstan she provided two assists and score an absolute rocket of a goal.
Wales boss Grainger believes Rowe’s versatility allows Wales to get the most out of all of their players.
Speaking after the Kazakhstan win she said: “We’ve got alot of really talented players and Rachel is someone that can probably play in six position.
“We want to utilise the strengths of everyone in this team.
“I think for Rachel playing in that position there will be different moments for her to come into the game and she’s done exactly that this evening.
Laura O’Sullivan yet to be tested
The opening two games didnt see Laura O’Sullivan called into action too often between the sticks for Wales.
With Wales enjoying over 75% possession in both games they only allowed their opponents four shots across both games.
That is likely to change when they take on Slovenia on 22 October at Lendava Sports Park.
Slovenia will pose a greater challenge than Kazakhstan and Estonia. They are 49th in the world, significantly higher than Wales previous opponents.
They also took France to the limit last time out as France scored a 90+4th minute winner through Amel Majri to win 3-2.
The Cardiff City Ladies goalkeeper kept seven cleansheets during qualification for the 2019 World Cup as Wales missed out on the play offs.
The arrival of Carrie Jones
Carrie Jones involvement with the national team has increased since the arrival of Gemma Grainger in March.
Jones made her senior Wales debut as a 15-year-old back in 2019 but didnt make another apperance until she was handed her first start in a friendly against Scotland in June.
Since then she has been the first player to be subbed on during both qualifiers this months qualifiers.
The 18-year-old looked comfortable in both fixtures, driving at the opposition defenders with such confidence.
Speaking after the 6-0 win over Kazakhstan Grainger spoke about how much Jones has impressed her since taking the job.
“Sometimes when I’m speaking to Carrie I forget how old she is.
“She’s only 18-years-old and I’m always impressed maturity levels and her professionalism.
“She’s so driven and she’s an exciting player, not just for today but potentially for the next 20 years.
“When you say that out loud it sounds crazy but she’s excellent.
