Wales manager Rob Page has revealed he would rather not play the upcoming friendly against South Korea in his recent press conference.
Cymru face off against the Asian side on Thursday night before facing Latvia in a European qualifier on Monday.
For Page, the friendly certainly seems to have come at the wrong time, and he’s looking ahead to Monday more than anything else.
“I would rather not play this friendly if I’m being completely honest with you. We’ve had a couple of injuries anyway, and the most important game for me is Monday. It’s all about getting the players off the pitch unscathed tomorrow and prepare them for Monday.”
This is the first camp the squad have been in since June’s disasters against Armenia and Turkey.
Wales have stared down the barrel of bad results before, and Page is confident that his side can get out of the hole they are currently in.
“It’s been a frustrating couple of months, but the first day on camp when we got together on Sunday, we addressed everything, boxed it all off, and the reaction in training this week has been really positive.
“We got a positive result away to Croatia after a disappointing World Cup, so we have shown in the past that we can bounce back, and it’ll be no different this time.”
Of course, with bad results comes speculation, and Page has faced a lot of criticism over the last couple of months.
However, the manager stands defiant and maintains he can be the one to get Wales out of this mess.
“People will always speculate about my future, that’s the industry we’re in. I’ve played football since I was 16. I’ve had criticism all my life as a player, as a coach, as a manager, it comes with the job. You’re going to get tested, you’re going to have challenging times, and it’s all about how you react.”
The players also know they’re in a difficult place. Connor Roberts says the squad know they haven’t been good enough, but also know they are still in with a chance of qualification.
“We all know it wasn’t good enough and we all know the only way to make things right is to play well and win games. We can try and do that tomorrow and then the big one on Monday night, but it’s not going to be easy.
“We know as a squad the last two games have been dreadful and I know personally that it’s been one of the lowest periods for me in a Wales shirt. Going forward, we have to pick ourselves and leave absolutely everything out there for our country.
“We find ourselves in a difficult position, but we are still in with a chance of qualifying if we win the next game. If, come the end of the campaign and we haven’t done it, then we have to move on and keep on trying to win games of football and progress as a footballing nation.”
Team News
In terms of team news, Wales fans should expect a lot of change from the side that played the last two games against Armenia and Turkey.
“We’ve had a look at the players and a look at how many minutes everyone has played, and we’ve picked the side accordingly for tomorrow night. There will be changes made at half-time and on the hour mark.
“This game is important to us, but not as important as the game is against Latvia on Monday. It’s all about the points for us, and it would be foolish of me to risk the lads playing 90, 95 or even 100 minutes nowadays. For me, it’s all about Monday’s game.”
Asked whether Aaron Ramsey and Brennan Johnson could feature at the Cardiff City Stadium, Page gave a very straightforward response.
“Look at the amount of minutes Aaron has played, he’s played the most football he’s played for a while, and that’s an obvious one. With Brennan, he was outstanding at Manchester United, he played for an hour after picking up a knock. Didn’t play over the weekend because of the move. So, there will be minutes that he will get that will be factored into the game for Monday.”
The opposition
When you think of South Korea, one player springs to mind, and that’s Tottenham captain Heung Min Son.
Page was a no-nonsense defender back in his day, but admitted he wouldn’t relish coming up against the flying winger.
“I would not have loved to have come up against Son in my day! He’s a wonderful player, he’s world class, and we know we’re up against some tough opposition. But it’s also an opportunity for us to focus on our defensive shape, and we’ll need it.”
Along with Son, South Korea boasts a squad that play all around the world, including defender Kim Min-jae, who plays for Bayern Munich, and Oh Hyeon-gu, who plays for Celtic.
Roberts learned first hand last week just what Son can do to a defender but has stressed the Tigers of Asia aren’t a one-man team.
“Unfortunately, I saw firsthand last week what Heung Min Son can do to a team and a player! It wasn’t ideal, but we all know just how good a player he is. They’ve got other players as well who are as good, and we’ll have to be on our A game to beat them.”
Along with their talismanic captain, South Korea have legendary striker Jurgen Klinsmann at the helm.
The World Cup winner has managed some of the biggest sides in the world, and Page is looking forward to testing his tactics against the German.
“He was an outstanding player. I met him out in Doha for a post-World Cup debrief, and we had a chat out there. Of course, he’s got an identity in the way he wants to play.
“He’s had four games and he’ll be frustrated with how those results have gone as well, but the opposition he’s played against have been top class too. But I’m looking forward to pitting our wits against each other.”
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