Craig Bellamy: Belief but work to do – Wales’ two years under Bellamy

Bellamy has regularly been keen to stress the need for Wales to increase and improve their player pool.

The 46-year-old has used 37 different players during his tenure to date.

He has also handed seven players – Karl Darlow, Dylan Lawlor, Ronan Kpakio, Kai Andrews, Joel Colwill, Isaak Davies and Cameron Congreve – their senior Wales debuts.

Qualifying for Euro 2028 remains the long-term aim for Wales and Bellamy, and blooding young talent has been viewed as a necessity to strengthen the nation’s long-term prospects.

Now halfway through his four-year contract with the Football Association of Wales, there are clearly signs of evolution, although there is work still to be done.

Assessing his two years in the hotseat after the loss to Romania, Bellamy said: “We’re definitely very different, two years older.

“It’s been really enjoyable, there’s a lot of stuff I really like that we’ve been able to do.

“But also it’s so, so clear, I feel that if we want to improve, these are the areas we need to improve on.”

Bellamy, who has been linked with several clubs in recent months, has clearly not lost his appetite for the Wales job.

“That excites me as well because I do like the team, I like how we play, but we need to be better in certain areas,” he added.

“That’s going to allow us to be able to compete with the top, top teams on a regular basis – because that’s where we want to be and we’re going to be tested now on that in Nations League A.

“It’s going to test everything about us. That’s where we want to be and that’s where we want to stay, so a lot of work to do.”