Craig Bellamy compared Premier League players to “cyborgs” as he discussed the growing physicality in the game after Thomas Tuchel said long throws and direct tactics were in vogue.
The Wales manager said he handpicked friendlies against Canada on Tuesday and England next month – two higher-ranked nations – to provide a barometer of his team’s progress and believes facing the latter at Wembley will be the perfect warm-up for hosting Belgium in a crunch World Cup qualifier four days later.
Tuchel said long throws were “back” and that England must consider adding long balls to their attacking weaponry. Bellamy, who was assistant manager to Vincent Kompany in the top flight at Burnley, was asked whether he had detected a recent shift in styles.
Bellamy said: “I think the physicality is clear and it has been for a few years … It has become a running game. It has become beyond extreme with the physical capabilities. We found it with Burnley – we built a Championship team that could come out of small spaces. Then go to the Premier League: cyborgs, that’s what you’re up against. It was unreal. They just run you but also have ridiculous ability … that’s why you pay £80m for that type of profile. Then you look around the team and see £40m, £50m, £60m [players].”
Wales host Canada, coached by the former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch, in Swansea. Bellamy said of selecting challenging opposition: “I was like: ‘Give me the toughest.’ Look, I’m fully aware I could get beaten and – can I say this? – get my ass kicked but what would I gain from playing a lesser team, where we know where we are? This is a tough game. We’ll see where we are. It gives us a good opportunity to be able to get better.”
Bellamy hopes the Canada match, the first men’s home game to be held in Swansea since November 2020 and outside Cardiff since July 2023, will be a sell-out. “I believe national teams, countries like us, should be playing in front of full stadiums,” he said. “I might be pushing it, but I expect that.”
Bellamy was informed that as of Monday afternoon the Football Association of Wales had sold about 15,000 tickets. “So, we push again,” he said with a smile. “It’s not a meaningless friendly, [it is an] important game.”
