Ben Davies has defended Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey for their performances at the World Cup – despite two poor team performances which have left Wales facing elimination if they don’t beat England on Tuesday.
Wales were fortunate to draw their opener against the United States after a late penalty from Bale masked a below-par first half display, while they lost their second match 2-0 to Iran having been outplayed for the majority of the match. Iran scored two injury time goals to seal the points and leave Wales bottom of their group.
Ramsey in particular has come in for criticism for his performances, but having played alongside both him and Bale for many years, Davies was not prepared to accept criticism of the pair ahead of the clash with the Three Lions.
“Gareth and Aaron have turned up for Wales over and over again,” Davies told a media conference.
“They’ve shown the quality they have and to be honest, I don’t think we’d be here without them. So to criticise them in any way is is probably very unjust. And I think that we have to put our faith in them that they can that they can one more time do it for us.”
Wales’ poor showings in Qatar have been in stark contrast to what many have come to expect of the team based on performances down the years, and there have been suggestions that this tournament has been a step too far for some.
A win over England will put Wales through to the last 16 so long as the other game in the group, between USMNT and Iran, ends in a draw. If either side wins that game Wales will need to beat England by four goals – and needless to say that would be one of the most remarkable results in World Cup history.
Davies though leaning on his experiences suggested this could be where Wales are at their best: “We’ve performed well when we’ve had our backs against the wall in the past, so we really have got nothing to lose. Now we have to go out there and give the best side of ourselves.
“It’s never easy after a loss. It’s tough to take at any level, especially at the pinnacle [at the World Cup], but that’s football, you know. You have to have to take the highs with the lows.
“We’ve gone back, we’ve talked amongst ourselves, we’ve had meetings as a team, we’ve looked over what didn’t go well. And it’s really been a case of just focusing again, and making sure that we’re going on into the game against England giving everything we’ve got and trying to show the best side of ourselves.”
The defeat to Iran has left Welsh fans shellshocked at the…
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