Wales U21 talking points as young Dragons hammered by Austria

Wales fell to a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Austria in their last outing in the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers.

Matty Jones’ side entered The Oval looking to end qualification on a high, and to their impressive victory against today’s opponents from earlier in the campaign.

The night, however, took the opposite turn. Austria were ruthless in their hunt to close the goal difference gap between themselves and second-place Denmark.

By the break, the Dragons were 3-1 behind but showed bright sparks and grit to get one back through Calum Agius.

Instead of providing a platform for Wales to come back, it instead allowed an experienced Austrian team to compound their advantage.

With two wins to their name, Jones’ side finished fifth in qualifying, with Austria also missing out after Denmark’s draw with Belgium and falling three goals short.

Thankfully for Wales, there was not enough time for them to notch any further. Here are the talking points from a bruising loss.

Wales wither as Austria dominate territory

The first half gave Wales more joy piecing counterattacks together.

Though there was not much of a midfield to connect the under pressure backline with the forwards sufficiently, Joe Duncan’s searching goal kicks and long passes from full-backs Archie Harris and Ronan Kpakio helped Wales burst into Austria’s half often enough.

In the second half, Austria’s back four, led by Brentford’s Jannik Schuster, pushed up higher, allowing them to knit together moves more easily and bypass the Welsh midfield into the final third.

Normally, this would provide more opportunities on the counter, but the away side tightened their grip on the midfield and also shored up the flanks.

As a result, Wales were reduced to head down running from Austria-based Gabriele Biancheri and a bright showing off the bench from Ollie Bostock for threat after the interval.

Midfield question marks mirroring senior side

Craig Bellamy’s senior team are caught between his desire to play possession-based football and the players’ suitability to direct football.

Jones’ side was also wrestling between these at times in Caernarfon and did also benefit more from direct play. However, like Bellamy’s setup, a lack of solidity in the middle made it tricky to lean into either effectively enough.

This was not necessarily down to a lack of numbers or experience, with Agius, Kai Andrews and Charlie Crew making up the deeper three. There was just not enough confidence in playing through or building up in the centre.

All three showed spells of promise, either when dragged further up or dropping deep to help the back four link up play.

The stretching of the pitch that wide men Tanatswa Nyakuhwa and Bostock did would still work if there was ample control in that central position.

Though further up the pitch than midfield, Nyakuhwa’s control and shot in the lead-up to Wales’ goal displayed the kind of poise and bravery that was required.

Anyadike makes history

Centre-back Noah Anyadike became the youngest player in Wales Under-21 history, making his debut at 15 years and five months.

Subbed on for Reece Munro 57 minutes in, the Cardiff City defender adds to his record as the youngest player in the Bluebirds’ history and EFL Cup history following his appearance against Norwich City in August.

Munro had endured a difficult night himself and replacement Anyadike was thrown into the deep end as Austria ramped up the pressure in the final half-hour.

The 15-year-old would end up giving away a penalty that was tucked away by Erik Kojzek.

Given the lack of stakes from a Wales point of view at that stage in the night, there is no reason for Anyadike to be disheartened by his debut as the away side saw blood.

His outing also continues to fuse Wales’ youth setup together, which will be key as the likes of Ed James and Alex Williams age out of the squad.