From Graham Thomas in Lens
Chris Coleman has told his team it’s time to end the Prattle of Britain and get down to business on the field.
The Wales manager dismissed all the pre-match comments before his side face England on Thursday as “small talk” but also warned that bigger issues, such as temperament and discipline, will be more relevant to the outcome of the Euro 2016 clash in Lens.
But Coleman also refused to confirm or deny whether the barbs fired at England by both Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey were part of a deliberate strategy designed to undermine the enemy.
Asked whether the bullets were loaded by himself, or with his blessing, Coleman said: “Whether it was or wasn’t, you’d have to ask the players involved.
“It’s all about opinions. We can’t be afraid of upsetting people, or what our opinion is. It’s all irrelevant. It’s about taking care of business on the field. The rest is just small talk.”
When England and Wales were drawn together out of UEFA’s glass bowls last year, Coleman confirmed his earlier stance that it was a marriage of inconvenience. He would like to have avoided the circus that would inevitably follow and he repeated that assessment 24 hours before the biggest game of his managerial career.
“We didn’t want England and we didn’t want all the hype that would come with it. But it’s here now. Whether our players have said something the England boys don’t like, I don’t know, or whether it’s vice-versa, it’s all irrelevant.
“There’s always a lot of expectation with England. We knew that. But all this, stuff – he said this, he said that – it’s all nonsense. It was inevitable that was going to happen, though.
“In no way am I disrespecting England by saying this is just another game. Yes, it has extra spice on top. But for us, we only ever concentrate on ourselves.
“Because of what’s at stake, and the fact that a win guarantees us a place in the last 16, it’s a massive game. But we get three bites at the cherry. If we don’t get what we need, we get another chance.
“Everyone look at this as the Battle of Britain and blah, blah, blah. But it’s only another game for us. It’s a chance to do something special. England are next and we just need to take care of business.
“There’s a lot more expectancy and pressure on England than us. Ours comes from within the group. Some people like the way we play. Some people don’t. Some feel we should do better, some don’t. But we know where we need to be and what to do. We stick to our own game plan.
“We showed team spirit against Slovakia. For 20 minutes they were all over us. For us to come back, we had to dig deep. We’ve got a good team, good players – even if everyone wants to talk about just one of them.”
That one player, of course, is Bale. Coleman makes no apologies for basing his playing style and tactical approach around the Real Madrid star – and argues it would be poor management to do otherwise when Wales are blessed with a talent Coleman feels is as good as any the country has knowm.
“I wouldn’t argue with that view. Gareth is a great player and there’s more to come from him. He has improved in last the last two years from being at Real Madrid.
“It wont be the first time England have faced a great player. So, I don’t need to tell Roy Hodgson what to do. But you can prepare as much as you like – great players, though, like Gareth, can undermine that.”
Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey trained for the first time on Wednesday, said Coleman, and is expected to be fit after missing the Slovakia game with a back injury.