I’ve always believed that any analysis into City’s relegation from the Premier League in 18/19 should include an acknowledgment that “plucky little Cardiff” syndrome played a part in it.
Now, we can argue as to how big a part it played, but it took City seven matches and over two months to record their first league win. Some of that could be put down to a very testing fixture list through September, but there were a couple of 0-0 draws against Huddersfield and Newcastle sides that spent significant portion of the games with just ten men and a loss to a Burnley side who we were a lot better than on the day.
However, in those early, and crucial as it turned out, weeks of the season, our attitude seemed to be that we almost didn’t merit our place at the top table. Neil Warnock got so much right to get us into the Premier League, but, even at the time, I didn’t understand his approach through much of the summer of 2018 when he often spoke as if survival in the coming season would be some sort of miracle – it was as if he was preparing us for failure.
Although we still took some hidings after that first win over an awful Fulham side, I reckon if we’d approached those early matches with the same attitude as we showed from about November onwards, we could well have stayed up.
I only mention this now, because I was reminded of “plucky little” teams watching Wales’ three matches in the Women’s Euros Finals over the past week. Seven years ago, I don’t think City merited their “plucky little” labelling, but “plucky little Wales” seems somehow appropriate given the nature of the three heavy defeats they suffered, in what it has to be said was a very tough group,
Maybe things might have turned out a little different if we hadn’t played the Netherlands first as it transpired that we treated them with far too much respect. With all of the emotion involved in getting a country like ours to the Finals when twenty years earlier, we had to withdraw from a qualifying group for the Euros because of a lack of finances, it was always going to be a somewhat fraught occasion against the Dutch and this was reflected in a performance where Wales appeared happy to sit back and absorb Netherlands pressure.
Truth be told, there was not much of it in a first half almost devoid of goalmouth actioo until time added on when a tiring Welsh right side, which had done a lot of defending in the very hot early evening sun, was opened up too easily and the Dutch took the lead.
Another goal within minutes of the restart eased any remaining Dutch nerves and they were able to score once more to conclude a 3-0 win that was as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. However, there were enough signs of frustration from our opponents in the first half to suggest that things may have turned out different if we could have got to half time still on terms.
The fact was though that Wales hadn’t played well and the Netherlands’ results in their next two games, 4-0 and 5-2 losses to England and France respectively, suggest that we treated them with too much respect.
Wales played better against a French side that had beaten England in their first game and we were more attacking in our outlook. Set piece defending was poor throughout though and we conceded early on from one of them, only for Jess Fishlock to equalise soon after in what was Wales’ moment of the tournament. For a while after that, Wales used their attacking pace and movement to good effect to suggest they could score again and, even though they were living on their nerves at the back at times, they again could have got to half time on level terms were it not for a cheaply conceded and unnecessary penalty in added time.
France, who had looked a little rattled at times in the first half, were now over their wobble and pulled clear in the second half with two more goals to inflict another three goal margin defeat on Wales, but, this time, there were reasons to be pleased with the Welsh display and I’d rate our second display as quite comfortably our best of the week.
The penalty which turned the game had shown Wales’ naivety though and I’m afraid “naive” was an appropriate description of our performance against England last night. Nothing much happened for about ten minutes, but then a free kick given just outside the area was changed to a penalty on VAR’s intervention. Wales could have few complaints about that decision, yet it must have been arguable if there had been sufficient contact to merit a foul being given, but, even so, it was naive defending again by the team in red.
Once again 1-0 down early on, Wales’ response did not match the one seen against France and England found it far too easy to add three more first half goals. England had added one more when an incisive pass by Fishlock sent sub Hannah Kane through and she finished well to score Wales’s second goal of the tournament. However, although I could understand the reaction of both the scorer and the Welsh supporters to a degree, it did rather scream out “plucky little Wales”.
England added one more late goal to win 6-1 and Wales couldn’t really have any complaints about the margin of their defeat. Honestly, they were always very likely to lose all three gaoms, but to do so conceding thirteen goals and with a goal difference of minus eleven has to be seen as disappointing I’d say.
Yes, I appreciate the achievement of qualifying and and that getting to Switzerland was the real story, Welsh women’s football will surely benfit from the experience and there will be young girls who go on to play for their country who will do so because of what they saw in the summer of 2-25.
However, I’d be a liar of I denied a feeling that it all could and should have been an improvement on what we saw because I think the Welsh team were playing better in their Nations League group through last winter which included two teams that have made it through to the Quarter Finals of the Euros.
Famous last words and all that, but I can’t see England’s Quarter Final opponents Sweden losing their game 6-1, but that’s what should happen when you consider that Wales drew 1-1 home and away with the Swedes only a few months ago. The other Quarter Finalists Wales faced were Italy who, to be fair, produced a rehearsal for what was to come by scoring four times at Cardiff City Stadium in the first half of Wales’ last game in the group, but it was a much tighter 1-0 loss in the away game in which Wales started their campaign.
Denmark, who, like us, finished bottom of their group this week, were 2-1 winners home and away, but, that one game against Italy apart, Wales were very competitive in every match and were more incisive up front and much steadier at the back.
Maybe I’m expecting too much from the team? Manager Rhian Wilkinson pointed out after last night’s match that her squad included five players who currently do not have a club. Now, we can all think back to Hal Robson-Kanu in 2016, but that Wales squad had a nucleus of players who were regular Premier League selections at the time, plus Gareth Bale who was at Real Madrid,
2016 was a great adventure which went better than any of us could have predicted, but 2025 was never going to be like that for the women. I still think they had it in them to do better than they did mind – albeit they would still have ended up with no points,