The Euro 2016 semi-finalists are in town for Friday’s World Cup qualifier and while Chris Coleman’s side have not enjoyed the greatest start to the campaign, they will certainly be looking to secure the victory at the Aviva to kick-start their journey on the road to Russia.
Pressure on Wales After Euro Heroics
Having reached the semi-finals of the European 2016, Coleman’s side were always going to find it difficult to replicate the form that saw them dispatch the mighty Belgians en route to that last-four finish.
Yet at the same time, expectations would have been sky high amongst the Wales faithful to coast to qualification for the 2018 World Cup in what would have been termed a very winnable group.
Wales started well in September and avoided that dreaded Euro hangover by easing past Moldova 4-0 but October only yielded two points; A hard-fought point away in Austria, before a very disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Georgia.
The point in Austria would have been regarded as a good result at the time, before the Irish went there and took all three, but the home result and most notably, performance against Georgia will have set alarm bells ringing as they could, and possibly should, have lost that game.
That malaise continued into the home clash with Serbia and while the performance certainly improved, the inability to see the game out certainly showed signs that the Welsh dragon was perhaps losing its puff.
Joe Ledley called the clash with Ireland a must-win in the aftermath of the Serbia result and even if that scenario has been downgraded to a game that Wales must get something from, the pressure is certainly on this Welsh side to prove that the summer was not a flash in the pan and that this is a team that can stay at the top of European football for the next few years at least.
Midfield Men Allow Bale to Shine
Despite questions being raised at club level about the form of Aaron Ramsey, the very vocal, and always in tune Wales fans, really appreciate the quality that the midfield maestro brings to the team.
So while all eyes are naturally drawn to Real Madrid man Gareth Bale, this Wales team really works at its optimum when the Arsenal man is pulling the strings in midfield. Even his bleached blond locks in France could not stop the neutral observer from appreciating what the ball-playing midfielder can bring to the team.
You would have to think that had Ramsey been available for the matches against Austria and Georgia, Wales would have a few more points on the board at this stage.
The former Cardiff City youth returned to the starting line-up against Serbia in their last outing and Wales were mere inches and minutes from victory when Bale hit the post late in the game, which would have made it 2-0.
Instead Serbia went up the pitch with five minutes remaining to square the game 1-1.
Ramsey, of course, was ruled out of that last-four clash in France during the summer and it was no coincidence that Wales looked pretty ordinary in the defeat by Portugal.
And with Joe Ledley and Joe Allen complementing in the midfield, perhaps the real way to prevent Bale from performing is to cut off the supply line.
Away Day No Problem For Travelling Welsh
There might be a full house in Dublin on Friday night with just the obligatory travelling contingent, however, the hostile home support will not put this Wales side off their game.
Wales can thrive away from home, most notably at the Euros where they were able to keep to their game-plan of high-velocity attacking football.
Most recently, Wales managed to scored twice away in Austria but defensive lapses resulted in Coleman’s side only coming away with a point.
The derby-style encounter that is inevitably going to break out in Dublin tomorrow night could, however, work against the footballing intentions of the visitors as they will have to win the physical battle first before generating the space and time to play to their attacking best.
Back in France, Wales’ worst performance came against a well-organised Northern Ireland side who turned the game into a club-style fixture and only for a moment of Bale magic and a lucky own goal, they may never have reached the latter stages.
It is also worth noting that this Ireland team have also struggled in that environment as they only managed one point from six available in the double header with Scotland in the last campaign.
Plan B…There is no Plan B
There is no doubt that the Wales starting XI are a match for most European sides with quality, experience and ingenuity running right through the side.
From the man mountain that is Wayne Hennessey in goal to the rock solid Ashley Williams in the heart of the defence and on to the footballing experts of Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, rounded off by the truly world class Gareth Bale, this Wales starting XI really are close to the perfect side.
But look beyond that first choice team and you must wonder how this Wales side can sustain that Euro success when you see a large chunk of the squad made up with inexperience and players playing at low-key English clubs.
Wales’ exposure during the summer will have alerted the rest of Europe about the potential of this side, but perhaps teams have worked out a way to play against Chris Coleman’s charges, who are excellent in attack but can look vulnerable once a key player or two are missing.
The international call-up of Liverpool youngster Ben Woodburn shows that resources are tight when it comes to quality coming through the Wales system and perhaps the cracks are starting to show as the qualifying group reaches the half-way stage.
Should Coleman summon the young striker Woodburn from the bench tomorrow night for his competitive debut, it will most likely be a sign that desperate measures are needed.
Gareth Bale
An injury to the Wales superstar threatened to rule Bale out of the trip to Dublin and while that certainly would have aided the Irish effort in the battle for World Cup qualification, it would have also denied the Irish footballing family the opportunity to observe and admire one of the current greats of world football.
Many of the world greats have graced the hallowed turf at Lansdowne Road over the decades and Bale really is in that company of current club coach ZinedineZidane as proved over the past two or three seasons at Madrid and more recently with the international side.
Apart from his frightening pace and ability to maraud down either flank, instilling fear into even the best defenders, Bale also possesses the ability to score from all angles with his ferocious shooting skills whether from set pieces or making a yard of space to unleash a shot at goal.
Add to that the fact that Bale has become a real aerial threat in the box from corners or crosses delivered from either flank.
Bale’s real influence is his ability to take a tight game like the one that is expected tomorrow night and influence the result with just one moment of magic.
And while such a scenario could put a real dent in this Ireland campaign, those in attendance will certainly be richer from the experience.
Watch Republic of Ireland v Wales live on RTÉ2 from 7pm Friday, listen live on 2fm's Game On and follow our live blog on RTE.ie and the News Now app.
