Cymru U21 head coach Matty Jones has called on his experimental squad to make a big impression this week as preparations for the next qualifying campaign begin with two friendlies in Valencia.
The first game against Andorra takes place on Thursday, 20 March (11am GMT) before the side face Sweden three days later on Sunday, 23 March (1pm GMT). Both games take place at Oliva Nova Sports Center in Valencia. “It’s been raining for three days!” said Jones.
“It has brightened up today, but we’re not here for the weather. I’ve come in with a lot of fresh ideas on how we evolve and keep modernising ourselves in the way we work, and what’s come with that is a new crop of players as well.
“Hopefully we set the environment where we give them an opportunity to flourish and express themselves, and it’s about the players integrating into a new environment.
“We’ve had a three day prep leading into to game one, so we’ve had to really challenge players in our environment, putting them in uncomfortable situations, to speak up in small groups initially to try and build that individual confidence.
“The itinerary has been really intense over the last few days, but it’s done deliberately to help the players and support them to perform at their best when it comes to game day.”
With the Cymru MU19 squad in UEFA Elite Round action this week, Jones has named a number of players who have not previously been involved in the intermediate pathway, and confirmed that two different teams would play in each half against Andorra.
Despite the changes, players like Evan Watts, Joel Cotterill, Cian Ashford and Luke Harris bring a level of experience to the group having been key players in the last qualifying campaign, and they will take on extra responsibility as the established names in the squad.
“The preparation leading in the camp was about making sure I had those touch points with the more senior players,” Jones explained. “Joel Cotterill has definitely stepped up to the mark.
“I’m not one usually to mention individual names, but Joel has been exceptional. Another one has been Evan Watts. It’s not just the performance on the pitch, but it’s making sure that they’re driving standards. I’m already delighted with the work that’s gone on with individuals really taking the lead and showing a great example.”
Joel Cotterill reflects on ‘solid’ Cymru U21 campaign
Cotterill also spoke to the media this week, and despite the disappointment of narrowly missing out on a place at the U21 EURO finals, he believes the squad can take a lot of positives from it. “I think looking back it was a very solid campaign,” he explained.
“We fell short but there were lots of positives to take from it. We were devastated, but we’re all very close and being a part of that group was an amazing experience. Now we need to create that bond quickly with the new players so we can go forward again.”
Currently on-loan at Swindon Town from Swansea City, Cotterill is enjoying both his club and international football. “It’s helped my confidence massively,” he added. “Playing under Ian Holloway, who’s managed over 1,000 games, has helped me on and off the pitch.
“This season has been huge for me and my confidence is through the roof. It’s an honour for anyone to represent their country, whatever age group it is. I know Matty very well from his time at Swansea and he’s brilliant with us, as are the rest of the coaching staff, and now we want to push on in the qualifiers.”
Those qualifiers for the next UEFA U21 EURO do not start for Cymru until September, and Jones reflected on the lessons learnt from last time in his first campaign. “I gained a lot of confidence and belief in myself as a practitioner.
“I’ve never had the luxury or the demands of man-managing a multidisciplinary team so that’s been an experience. Hopefully I’ve proved to people that I can deliver to an elite level.
“The vision for me, whether we had success or failure in terms of qualification, was always the process that we go through to get players into our first team. They were huge achievements, but I’m just part of a well-oiled machine.”
For now, the immediate focus for Jones and his squad is on the challenge of Andorra and Sweden, and what he would consider to be a positive return. “Results aren’t the biggest agenda for this camp,” he added.
“It’s not a priority for me to win these games, but it certainly helps when it comes to that momentum leading into the campaign as well. That was a pivotal two years ago when we played Colombia and Scotland in this exact window, in that it helped us get that initial success at the start of the last campaign.”
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