Rhys’s Ratings
Cymru 1-1 Turkey
Rhys is back with his player ratings after the closing game of the group.
Despite the scoreline mimicking that of Wales’s match against Armenia on Saturday, this was a far better performance. The first half was an exciting glimpse of what this team could be and the second half a reminder of what it currently is. As usual, I take a look at the best and worst from the night, it’s Rhys’s Ratings babbbyyyyyy!
Ward
Made a few poor passes and goal kicks which didn’t help the Welsh cause but also clipped some lovely passes out to the wing-backs that gave Wales a foothold over Turkey’s pressing. His sweeping up of balls over the top, although nervy for us supporters, gave Cymru the opportunity to be more aggressive and keep a higher line, especially in the first half. Would have loved a penalty save but no serious complaints!
Roberts
An improved performance compared to against Armenia and in fairness was defensively solid all night. The biggest criticism of Roberts may be Page’s to bear though. He’s quite clearly a right-back being asked to play as a right-wing-back and him in the role blunts Cymru’s attacking potential down the right side. Too often the ball was played wide to his flank only to have to be recycled by Roberts due to a lack of drive. Like I say, if it’s a right-back you want then he’s more than good enough, but at wing-back I’m yet to be truly convinced…
Rodon
Really impressive across both games this international break and hopefully a sign of things to come. Joey was fantastic against Turkey, hardly put a foot wrong defensively and his lofted passes down the channel for Brennan Johnson to chase gave Wales a lot of joy in that first half.
Lockyer
A solid defensive display from the deputising Tom Lockyer after Mepham was suspended following a booking in Yerevan. Looked really comfortable sitting in and soaking up the Turkish pressure, perhaps in part due to his role of doing so for Luton this season. Definitely did enough to warrant future selection headaches for Rob Page.
Ben Davies
No criticism for conceding the penalty, incredibly soft and you’d much rather have your defender touch-tight to his man that at arms length. Penalty aside it was a good performance from the captain, looked a real leader for Wales on the night. Did well later on in the game when he stepped into the left-back position and tried to drag his country up the pitch and into an attack.
Neco Williams
NECO! NECO! NECO! Firstly, what a goal! Praise to Page firstly for deploying Wilson and Broadhead just behind the striker that left our wing-backs 1v1 against the Turkish full-backs and Neco needed no second invitation to get at them all evening. I went to watch Cymru U21s on Monday evening and it’s easy to forget that Neco is less than a year older than some of those lads! His maturity on the ball mixed with his hunger and undeniable talent is devastating at times and would love to see him kick on further both for club and country of the next qualifying campaign.
Ampadu
Did the basics really well as usual. Nothing too pretty but never needed to be. Could have easily scored from his headed chance on the hour mark and maybe even should have.
Jordan James – 🌟DYN SEREN🌟
With every good performance JJ puts in you can feel the relief amongst the supporters that the midfield position that has caused much anxiety for the future has finally been filled, and against Turkey was no different. Tackled and broke up play superbly but more than that I was so excited by how brave he was in passing forward too and not just safely sideways or backwards. Harry Wilson’s assist came from JJ getting his head up and playing into the pocket of space. Left his mark on this match and it won’t be the last. He’s 19 years of age by the way! Wow.
Harry Wilson
I’ve seen this qualifying for Harry Wilson described as a ‘coming of age’ campaign and couldn’t agree more. He’s such an intelligent player for Wales and his movement, control and pass to Neco Williams for the opener is a fantastic example of that. Solid performance.
Nathan Broadhead
Another really promising performance from Broadhead that surely earns more minutes in future camps. His quick feet and drive were dazzling at times against Turkey. The only criticism will be his link up play with Brennan didn’t quite come off at times but they’ve got time on their side to build that for Wales. Let’s hope they get the chance to do so.
Brennan Johnson
On another day Brennan gets at least a brace and wins a penalty at the same time. Didn’t quite happen for him but the quality and potential are there. Gorgeous finish for his eventually ruled out ‘goal’.
Brooks (sub 61′)
Creative and lively from the bench. Lovely flick through to Brennan but the flag was up.
So onto the playoffs we go! I’ll be eagerly watching the draw on Thursday to see who we’ll get. Three wins, three draws and two defeats then for this qualifying campaign, which has once again proven that there are no guarantees in international football (as if us Welsh supporters ever needed reminding!). Who would have guessed at the start that neither of our two defeats would come against World Cup semi-finalists Croatia? Writing these ratings for this match really highlighted the promise and quality we have in the squad and despite falling short of automatic qualification, I feel far more optimistic about our future than at the start of the campaign. We’re not yet where we want to be, but not where we used to be either. Thanks to Dai, Ruth and Coleman Had a Dream Pod for the opportunity to do the ratings this campaign, I’ve really enjoyed it.