WE all know how big the game is against England.
Understandably, the atmosphere around the place has been a bit negative after our two opening games, but I’ve arrived now in Qatar, to join the S4C team in Doha. So we’ll try and be more positive for this massive last group game.
I’ve spent time around the squad here and they’re staying positive. They’ve got their shoulders back, they look focused, they look like they are in the zone. And when you see them with smiles on their faces, it’s contagious and gives you a positive feeling as well.
Yes, the 2-0 loss to Iran was painful. We didn’t perform well enough as a team and we didn’t deserve anything from the game.
But we need to leave that game in the past now. We need to leave behind any negativity that’s come from those results. We need to cut out all of the hype that surrounds a big game against the old enemy.
England are the favourites but we also have experience of winning some huge games, with our backs against the wall. We showed our fight when we went one goal down against Belgium in Euro 2016. No one needs reminding what happened next, but it truly was one of the most special nights in Welsh footballing history.
That’s where we are ahead of this game. We are down, but we are not out. We have no choice but to roll our sleeves up, fight for everything, to make sure we stay in the battle for the whole 90 minutes against this talented England side.
The players won’t need any motivation for this game, but my hope is that we see Wales make an impression on this World Cup. We haven’t done that yet, but this is the perfect chance to show what we can do. It’s simple; it comes down to one game. One game to win. We can’t look at anything else or other results, the only thing we need to focus on is to win that one game of football.
We know everything about them and they know everything about us. There’s no fear there. We have to be brave, we have to take responsibility and we have to deal with the occasion. There is no point in regretting anything. Rob Page is disappointed, but I saw him earlier and he is ready to lead his team into this big occasion.
It’s eleven against eleven and they will go toe-to-toe. If we show our desire to win the ball the ball, make our tackles and win our individual battles, there is every chance we can win this game. We can’t ever question the effort, the passion and commitment of these boys, and they have given us so many special memories over the past few years. I’m hoping they can create at least one more in Qatar. I’m not ready to come home yet!
C’mon Cymru!
Malcolm Allen is a part of S4C’s World Cup team. S4C will show every Wales game during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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