Members of the Wales squad have insisted that confidence isn’t low after suffering relegation in the Nations League.
After being defeated by Iceland on Friday, Wales’ relegation from the top tier of the Nations League was confirmed with a game to spare.
Having lost all of their games this campaign, their run of defeats now stretches to six games, going back to the game against the USA, a run not seen for well over a decade.
Despite this, captain Sophie Ingle says the squad have remained realistic throughout the campaign, and knows that in the future, this Wales team will improve.
“As players, we are realistic. We knew this was going to be tough because we’re playing these top teams. We have to set standards, but we also have to be realistic.
“We’re on a good page, we’re on a good run of knowing where we need to go next year. Playing Germany in Swansea tomorrow night is a good way to end the year.
“Hopefully, it’ll be in a positive way.”
Fellow midfielder Angharad James believes this is one of the toughest periods she’s had in the national setup but is confident the squad will be able to look back on this campaign as a big stepping stone.
“It has been a difficult period for us because we haven’t had a spell like this since I’ve been playing for Wales. It’s hard, but we know what we have to do, what we have to improve.
“Everyone will go back to their clubs, but when we’re all back together on camp, we’re all going to give so much in order to improve.
“At the moment, we’re not getting the results that we need, but we know in the long-term, that the Euros is the most important thing, and we’re building towards that. I’m excited to see where this group can go.
“When we look back in a year or two, we can say, that’s what we did to make us stronger.”
“We’re all with Hannah”
One player who will be missing from tomorrow’s game and the foreseeable future will be Leicester City forward Hannah Cain.
In heartbreaking circumstances, Cain has torn the ACL in her left leg, having previously torn the one in her right.
Manager Gemma Grainger has spoken openly about the close bond that she has with the forward and says she’s very hopeful that she’ll bounce back once more.
“I’m pretty confident that she will come back better than ever. It’s obviously devastating news for us. Our first reaction is to support Hannah first and foremost.
“What I do know about Hannah, and you can see that from the statement she’s released, her mindset is all focused on coming back and being the player that we know she is and more.
“We will support her from the very first moment until the moment she’s on the pitch.”
Cain’s national captain has praised her resilience in the past and knows she will come back stronger.
“She is a tough cookie. It’s obviously really disappointing for her. She came back from her last ACL injury flying, and yes, she did have a little setback with her hamstring two camps ago, but she came back in and was in a good place and doing well for club.
“It’s a huge blow for us, but she’s made of tough stuff and she’s raring to go with her rehab already. It’s always going to be tough mentally with that sort of injury, but she is also a very positive person.
“She’s back at the hotel reading books and trying to improve herself individually. She can’t do that on the pitch right now, but she’ll grow as a person from this.”
Germany
Wales’ final group game doesn’t get much tougher, as Germany travel to Swansea to take them on.
While we know our fate, Germany travel to South Wales with an incentive. Win, and they will top the group and make it through to the semi-finals of the Nations League.
For manager Horst Hrubesch, despite Wales having already been relegated, he is still expecting a difficult night if his team isn’t at their best.
“It doesn’t really matter for us if Wales have been relegated or not, because if we’re not at our best, any team can play their style of football against us.
“On the other hand, we ourselves are in a really good moment. We have followed our path well, and right now, we control the cards.”
Germany defeated Wales 5-1 in Sinsheim in what was a one-sided game. For Bayern Munich forward Klara Bühl, she knows being away from home will bring a different challenge.
“If you play at home, you might be a little better and you do feel comfortable in your own surroundings.
“But we know where the two teams are starting in the group heading into this game, and it is important for us to focus on ourselves, especially away from home.”
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