Croatia vs. Wales preview: Ceri Holland handed the armband
WREXHAM, WALES - 05 APRIL 2024: Wales' Ceri Holland during the UEFA Womens Euro 2025 qualifier League B match between Wales Women and Croatia Women at SToK Cae Ras in Wrexham on the 5th of April 2024. (Pic by Ashley Crowden/FAW)
Ahead of their penultimate European qualifier, Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson has named Ceri Holland as captain for the game away to Croatia.
This will be Wilkinson’s fifth game in charge, and it will be her fifth captain, as the Canadian continues her search for a new permanent captain.
It’s Liverpool midfielder Holland who has been handed the armband out in Karlovac, a decision which again shows the variety of leaders in this squad, according to Wilkinson.
“I’ve been quite clear that this team is leaderful. We do have many different types of captains here. We’ve had Hayley Ladd wearing it, Angharad James has worn it, Ceri is wearing it this time, Jess has worn it, and each one of them has demonstrated great leadership.
“This game is an opportunity to highlight another leader in our team and give her the honour of wearing the armband for her country.”
Holland has captained the Reds before on a few occasions, but this will be her first time leading her country out; a decision which came as a surprise for her.
“It was very unexpected to be told I’d be captain for this game. It’ll be one of the biggest standout moments in my career to lead out this team and to lead out these girls. This team is full of captains, on the day, it’s about coming together as a team.”
If the captaincy was based on player performance, it should come as no shock that Holland has been handed it on this occasion.
Holland, who has 33 caps to her name, put in player of the match performances in both games against Ukraine, while playing in a number of positions.
Playing as a midfielder, a forward, a wing-back, Holland has starred in every role she’s been asked to play in, and that’s something Wilkinson simply loves.
“Ceri is wearing the armband for a reason. There are many players who play for Wales who have played in a variety of positions, not just Ceri. They can also change positions during a game and that is the reality of being a country that maybe doesn’t have the talent pool bigger countries have.
“It’s huge credit to Ceri and the other players that do that consistently for their country and do it willingly. Most people don’t like change, but athletes hate change, but these players just get on with it. Ceri is a great example of someone who loves her country, has huge pride representing Wales, and will do what’s needed to get results.”
While some hate change, Holland has grown to love it, and in fact, sees every position as a new challenge.
“I actually really enjoy the challenge of playing in different positions. It’s all about being adaptable. I want to help this team in any way that I can, and at the end of the day it’s the manager’s decision, but I’m happy to go with that. I trust fully in the staff and where they see me playing and embrace the challenge wherever I’m playing.”
Ukraine lessons
Holland will lead her team out on Friday knowing they need to show an improved performance from their two games against Ukraine last month.
Two draws leave Wales in second place in the group, and Wilkinson wants to see her side put the lessons they learned into practice on Friday night.
“There’s a pressure that comes with representing your country, and things don’t always go exactly to plan, and that’s also part of football, and it’s all about how we react. We got two draws, and what we learned in those camps is that we came back in both of those games, we stuck together, and we were all frustrated, because we wanted two wins.
“We talk about resilience and going through adversity, and now, this camps is a chance for us to show what we’ve learned from those games.
“There’s definitely a part of the defensive game that we want to tighten up, and then we need to be sharper in front of goal. We’re creating the opportunities, the players are getting into good positions, and now we’ve got to make them count.”
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A different beast
Friday sees Wales come up against Croatia, who are certainly a different team to the one Cymru encountered in Wrexham in the first game of the campaign.
Wales came out on top, running out 4-0 winners, but since then, Croatia have picked up two wins over Kosovo and a win over Ukraine, something Wales fans know is a difficult task.
Wilkinson is acutely aware of how different the game in Karlovac will be.
“It’s a very different game to the one up in Wrexham. We’ve seen in this group, the first time you play someone is totally different to the second time you play. It was the same with Ukraine, and that was in the same window. They obviously have the advantage of being at home.
“It was our first game together back then, and I was so impressed with how the team showed up, but this has to be a blank slate and a brand-new game. We have to face what’s in front of us, which is a Croatia team with more experience and more opportunities to play together.”
Holland concurred with the thoughts of her head coach, and also said the team will be ready for the weather, as temperatures are set to hit an eye-watering 36°C.
“We’re under no illusions over how difficult Friday night will be. Croatia are very organised team, they have a direct way of playing, and we have to have strategies to counter against that. We’ve prepared well as a team this week and I think on Friday it will all come together.
“It is very hot, there’s no getting away from that, but there’s also nothing we can do about it. We can’t change the weather, and it’s the same for both teams. We will have strategies in place to deal with it on the day, but we can’t change it.”
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Bellamy welcome
New Wales men’s team manager Craig Bellamy went to see Rhian Wilkinson and the squad this week after his appointment.
The Canadian is happy that the FAW have got their man and is looking forward to building a good working relationship with Bellamy.
“It’s exciting for the FAW to get people to fill positions, and we talk a lot about it being one association, and we really appreciated getting to meet with Craig. I know he’s looking forward to coming down to our game in Llanelli on Tuesday night, and it’s nice to have someone fill in the role.”
