England vs Wales Strategic Breakdown: Bellamy's New Approach Unpacked
Wales have altered their method of football under their new coach.
Looking at the previous manager's final 12 games in charge to Craig Bellamy's opening 12 as Wales head coach, one clear change is a new approach to focus more on ball control and dominating games with the ball.
Under Robert Page: Aggressive Football
Under Page, Wales' intense style was based on pressing intensely off the ball, particularly in wide areas, predominantly using a fluid 3-4-3 formation to push forward aggressively.
Craig Bellamy's Different Style
Bellamy has so far exclusively used a four-man defense, urging the squad to get on the ball and build attacks more methodically.
Statistical Differences
The new strategy has produced a significantly increased amount of possession, a increased pass count and a small decrease in how regularly they give the ball away in advanced positions.
Additionally, Wales displays a improved expected goals metric under Bellamy.
Key Consideration
Will Bellamy's tactics provide Wales a better opportunity of overcoming England?
The strategic changes under Bellamy signifies a notable shift away from Page's methods.
- Higher possession rates
- Deliberate offensive construction
- Less giveaways in attack
- Enhanced scoring probability
