Wales has waited nearly 60 years to participate on the big stage, but it finally qualified for a major tournament. In doing so, the Welsh are the highest-ranked British team for the first time in its history. The Dragons will be facing rival England in the group stage, so they will have extra motivation to make a significant impact in their first major tournament since 1958.
ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace), Daniel Ward (Liverpool), Owain Fon Williams (Inverness Caledonian Thistle).
Defenders: Ashley Williams (Swansea), James Chester (West Brom), Ben Davies (Tottenham), James Collins (West Ham), Chris Gunter (Reading), Neil Taylor (Swansea), Jazz Richards (Fulham).
Midfielders: Joe Ledley (Crystal Palace), Joe Allen (Liverpool), David Vaughan (Nottingham Forest), Jonathan Williams (Crystal Palace), David Edwards (Wolves), George Williams (Fulham), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Andy King (Leicester).
Forwards: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), David Cotterill (Birmingham City), Hal Robson-Kanu (Reading), Simon Church (Aberdeen), Sam Vokes (Burnley).
COACH
Chris Coleman succeeded his late friend Gary Speed as manager in 2012. After a successful four-year stint with Fulham, Coleman failed to replicate that success elsewhere until landing the Wales job, where he is making history with the national team.
POSSIBLE FORMATION
4-3-3 – (GK) Hennessey – (D) Taylor, Williams, Collins, Gunter – (M) Ledley, Ramsey, Allen – (F) Bale, Vokes, Robson-Kanu
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GROUP B SCHEDULE
June 11: vs. Slovakia in Bordeaux
June 16: vs. England in Lens
June 20: vs. Russia in Toulouse
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
Wales lost just one game in qualifying and finished in second place in Group B to automatically qualify for Euro 2016. Its lone defeat came at the hands of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the road.
TEAM STRENGTHS
Wales’ tactical flexibility has allowed it to play with a 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 formation, as well as with three-man defence when necessary. This makes it well-prepared when facing multiple teams over the span of a couple of weeks. They also have a plethora of wide players, especially at full back. This will help the Dragons stretch the field and unlock opposing defences.
TEAM WEAKNESSES
The Welsh are loaded at the back and in midfield but do not have an in-form No. 9. Gareth Bale will be relied upon to score, but Sam Vokes, Simon Church and Hal Robson-Kanu have a combined 11 goals between them. Bale has 19.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gareth Bale: Bale is clearly Wales’ best player and go-to attacker. The Real Madrid forward is in form entering Euro 2016 and will be the main man for the Welsh in France.
Sam Vokes: Coleman has options up front, but Vokes is coming off a promotion to the Premier League with Burnley, having scored 15 goals in the Championship this past season. For those reasons, it would be surprising to see him omitted from the starting XI for Euro 2016.
Chris Gunter: The 26-year-old Reading defender is already one of Wales’ most experienced players. He will likely start at right back. However, Gunter does not play like a modern-day full back. He does not get involved in the attack too often and is quite conservative with his positioning. Given the plethora of attacking talent in the Welsh’s group, especially on Slovakia and England, that could be a blessing.
BURNING QUESTION?
What formation will Coleman use? The Welsh coaching staff will be satisfied knowing that they can set up the team in a variety of systems. Depending on the form of the centre backs, Wales could deploy a four-man defence. However, given how technical and fast Slovakia and England are, they could benefit by establishing a 3-5-2.
PROSPECTS IN FRANCE
This is a very balanced group. There is no outright favourite, so it’s wide open for any of the four teams. On paper, England is the best side, although Slovakia caused fits for Spain during qualifying. Russia is a lot slower compared to the other nations, which gives Wales an edge. It’s totally plausible for the Welsh to reach the quarterfinals if they can finish in the top two of Group B.
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