Bellamy's 'unrealistic' aim? To make Wales a top team

Craig Bellamy could scarcely have wished for a better start as Wales head coach.

The former captain is unbeaten with three draws and three wins, rounding off his first campaign with Tuesday’s emphatic 4-1 victory over Iceland to secure promotion to the top tier of the Nations League.

Perhaps more significantly, winning Group B4 also means Wales have almost guaranteed themselves at least a play-off place for the 2026 World Cup.

This has all been done as Bellamy aims to instil a progressive new style of play, one which he hopes will help Wales not only qualify for major tournaments, but allow them to make a “big impact” when they get there.

With Wales now having to wait until March 2025 before they return to action, BBC Sport Wales takes a closer look at Bellamy’s first campaign.

In terms of results and performances, it was a huge success.

By winning Group B4, Wales not only secured an instant return to the top tier of the Nations League, but also all but guaranteed at least a play-off for the World Cup.

What was equally important to Bellamy, however, was creating a clear playing “identity”.

He accomplished that remarkably quickly. Despite having only a few days to work with the players before his opening game against Turkey in September, Bellamy’s ideals were there for all to see as a bold and adventurous Wales dominated a goalless draw they were unlucky not to win.

From that moment on, Wales were inventive and ambitious on the ball – looking to build attacks from all areas of the field – and they were relentless out of possession, pressing their opponents with an intensity which is as important as any other aspect of play for Bellamy.

“We’ve seen it a lot in this campaign. I feel our identity has been clear, which is more than I could have asked for. I’m really over the moon with that,” Bellamy says.

“I want us to be a top team, I really do. I know there’s difficult teams out there, but can we have that consistency of ‘this is how we play’, where we’re able to have a real good go?”

Bellamy describes himself as a “greedy” coach – forever demanding more from his players, his staff and himself – and there is no doubting his ambitions.

“I don’t want us to just be a good national team, I want to be one of the top international teams,” he says.

“This is me, I’m an unrealistic person, but that’s what I want us as a group to be able to strive for. We don’t just want to go to major tournaments, we want to have a big impact at major tournaments.”

Qualifying for the 2022 World Cup was a significant achievement for Wales, but at the tournament in Qatar they were desperately disappointing as they were knocked out in the first round. Bellamy wants to correct that.

During this Nations League campaign, Wales have certainly developed but, as Bellamy has explained, there is naturally work to do and areas to improve.

There are games such as the opening goalless draw with Turkey in which their finishing touches in the final third have fallen short, while October’s squandering of a 2-0 lead in Iceland raised questions about game management and their ability to sustain their intensity in the second half.

“We need pain,” Bellamy says. “We need to go through that. By that, we get to coach.

“This won’t be the only time and we’ll be even worse, so we need to have those scenarios because it will give us more of a library. It gives us more to coach and show the players. That allows us to improve.”

That is the real question Bellamy has been pondering. Everything about this Nations League campaign has been geared towards the ultimate goal of reaching the 2026 World Cup.

The qualifying draw will take place in Switzerland on 13 December with Wales among the second seeds.

The 12 group winners will qualify automatically, while the 12 runners-up will enter the play-offs along with four highest ranked Nations League group winners who have not qualified automatically.

Since group winners in League A – the likes of Spain, Germany and France – are almost certain to qualify automatically and will not require a play-off, those Nations League spots are likely to fall to League B winners, of which Wales are one.

So even if Bellamy’s side fail to finish among the top two of their World Cup qualifying group, they are close to being guaranteed a play-off place.

That is a precious back-up option – one which has helped Wales in the past – but Bellamy will be aiming to qualify automatically.

When the draw is made next month, some of Europe’s superpowers could lie in wait in pot one, and Bellamy believes matches such as last Saturday’s hard-earned draw in Turkey in an intimidating atmosphere will equip his players with the kind of experience they will need to prosper against tough opponents next year.

“You will get stressed when the heat is on, but that will allow us to be able to have a bigger say against these type of teams in the future,” he says.

“This is the type of football team I want us to be, no matter where we go, no matter who the opposition is, we have a big say in games.”

When Bellamy’s first stint with the Wales squad in September was coming to an end, the former captain spoke of his sadness about having to part with his players.

He made that comment in Montenegro with a smile – knowing he would be reunited with the squad a month later – but Bellamy is being sincere when he says he constantly needs to keep his mind active.

So with Wales now without a fixture until March, Bellamy will have more time on his hands having started his reign with two fixtures every month so far.

He plans to spend time with coaches of other teams to study how they work, while he also wants improve his grasp of analysis technology as he prepares dossiers on opponents and intricate game plans for his own team.

“I’ve been quite lucky because it’s been month by month. I’ve really kept busy through that month as well so it doesn’t feel like I’ve missed any time,” Bellamy says.

“I’ve tried to put in place a big plan for that period, where I go on study visits, where I go and see different best practices, I feel that’s important. There’s a few courses I want to go on during that period as well, so I’ve just got to keep active.

“My mind needs to keep active. Of course I’m going to miss it. I just feel like I’m starting to enjoy it. Me as a person, I need to be active.”