Bale hails Wales team spirit

14 October 2014 14:31

Gareth Bale feels team unity could propel Wales all the way to the European Championship finals in France.

TogetherStronger is the motto driving on Wales' Euro 2016 campaign with supporters buying into the message as over 50,000 of them turned up for the two qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cyprus this week.

Wales took four points from those two games and Bale admits that togetherness was the force behind beating Cyprus with 10 men to head into next month's trip to section favourites Belgium, who sit top of Group B.

"It's not all plain sailing in any game and we didn't have the greatest of luck with the (Andy King) sending off but the team spirit is incredible," Bale said.

"Maybe in different campaigns we wouldn't have won that game but I've said before we've all turned a corner.

"When we come away with Wales now everybody loves being there, the banter's flying and everyone gets along together and has a laugh together.

"There's no single groups and it shows on the pitch, everyone's fighting for every ball together and that shows in the results we're getting."

Having relied upon Bale to dig them out of a huge hole in their opening qualifier in Andorra last month - the Real Madrid star scored twice, including a late free-kick winner - Wales came into the two home qualifiers seriously weakened by injuries.

Key midfielders Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen were among those absent for both games and manager Chris Coleman had lost no less than 11 players by the time Wales kicked off against Cyprus on Monday night.

But Bale hailed the depth in the current Welsh set-up with Sky Bet Championship players David Cotterill and Hal Robson-Kanu providing the goals to beat Cyprus 2-1 at the Cardiff City Stadium.

"The players coming in now show we've got a good depth and whoever comes in does a fantastic job," Bale said.

"We've got a lot of injuries but we haven't moaned once and we've just got on with the job.

"The minimum points we wanted from these two games was four and we knew Bosnia was going to be a difficult game.

"They're a very good team and a point against them was a good result.

"We definitely thought we could beat Cyprus and it was obviously difficult circumstances, but we got the job done which is the most important thing."

Wales had to battle for the three points after striker Simon Church suffered a dislocated shoulder in the opening moments before midfielder King was sent off two minutes into the second half for a bad tackle on Cyprus captain Constantinos Makrides.

Bale was booked for dissent following that incident and the 25-year-old was a central figure in an enthralling contest, setting up the second goal for Robson-Kanu with a brilliant back heel and providing 10-man Wales with a constant attacking outlet while all the time being the subject of some brutal treatment from Cypriot defenders.

"You'd hope they get the same treatment as us and I'm sure a few of them should probably have got a bit more than they did," Bale said of a physical Cyprus team which collected five cautions.

"But it's normal getting taken out sometimes and you just have to dust yourself off and go again.

"I didn't think it was a red card (for King) and that's why I had a little argument with the referee and unfortunately got booked.

"But when a decision's made you have to get your head down and get on with it and we definitely did that.

"Everybody did that and I thought we fully deserved the win."

Meanwhile Ryan Giggs believes Bale can become Wales' greatest-ever talent by ending the country's long wait for a major finals appearance.

"There's a long way to go but there is great potential and we have Gareth Bale leading the attack," Giggs told WalesOnline as he attended the Welsh Football Community Awards in Cardiff in his role as partners McDonald's Head of Welsh Football.

"He is a world class player who could walk into any team and is a match-winner.

"There's others like Aaron Ramsey and younger players coming through and I think we can look forward to the rest of the campaign."

In the 1990s Giggs played in the same team as Neville Southall, Gary Speed, Mark Hughes, Dean Saunders and Ian Rush but United's current assistant manager believes Bale can top them when it comes to individual achievement.

"He could be the best ever," Giggs said before watching Wales beat Cyprus at the Cardiff City Stadium. "He can be as good as he wants to be because he's such an amazing talent. He can go all the way.

"He's playing at a great club and he's doing it week in week out and he's doing it for Wales as well.

"He has to deliver at Real Madrid where the expectation is huge and the pressure is on and it's showing in his performances for Wales he can still deliver.

"It's been a massive learning curve for him over the last season but he's lived up to every expectation and more.

"Not only that he's a great lad who wants to get better and wants to be the best."

Source: PA