5 things learned from Turkey 0-2 Wales

1. The difference a crowd makes

It is fair to say that the game between Wales and Switzerland was a very timid affair and arguably much of that was down to the lack of supporters in the ground.

Whilst the scenes of the Welsh fans singing the national anthem proudly were fantastic, the few numbers which could make the trip to Azerbaijan was disappointing. Not the fault of the supporters themselves it is important to add.

However, with 32,000 in attendance this time around, over 90% being Turkish supporters, the atmosphere was hostile. Only 400 Welsh fans could again attend but they made their voices heard as much as possible.

Whilst small in number, to the players it would have felt as strong as scenes seen below.

DUBLIN, IRELAND – OCTOBER 16: Harry Wilson of Wales celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Nations League B group four match between Ireland and Wales at Aviva Stadium on October 16, 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)So far we’ve got work

2. Gareth Bale x Aaron Ramsey connection

It took a number of attempts which Ramsey missed but eventually the Juventus man was able to take a chance that Bale put on a plate for him.

In the first 20 minutes of the match, Bale put Ramsey through twice who had a chance well saved by Cakir and then a second skied over the top.

Yet, before the stroke of half time, Bale had clearly not given up on his fellow talismanic figure in the Welsh group and chipped a ball through for the ex-Arsenal midfielder to chest down and finish in a composed fashion.

Wales will need more of the same if they hope to channel their 2016 tournament finish into 2021.

CARDIFF, WALES – SEPTEMBER 06: Aaron Ramsey of Wales celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal during the UEFA Nations League B group four match between Wales and Republic of Ireland at Cardiff City Stadium on September 6, 2018 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

3. Back 4 preferences

Wales struggled a lot against the Switzerland backline which included 3 top class centre backs flanked by another two quality wing backs. Gareth Bale was doubled up on by Ricardo Rodriguez and Manuel Akanji and was unable to have too much of an impact on the game.

Equally, whilst James was exciting on the left, both Kevin Mbabu and Nico Elvedi were able to quell his efforts to attack Yann Sommer’s goal.

However, Turkey’s back four, as expected from our preview of the game, opened up many more opportunities for Wales.

Bale was able to come inside with greater ease having just the single man to beat and the centre-halves both concerned with Keiffer Moore’s presence.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – JUNE 12: Kieffer Moore of Wales (L) celebrates with Bale (R) after drawing with Switzerland during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group A match between Wales and Switzerland on June 12, 2021 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Marcio Machado/Getty Images)

4. Celik’s torment continues

After winning the league title in France with Lille, Zeki Celik was going into the European Championships on the back of a fantastic season.

However, after struggling with Lorenzo Insigne on the opening night of the tournament against Italy, Celik’s tournament continued to be a torment for the Lille man.

Daniel James had many strong runs successfully against Celik and he was at fault for the penalty which he would have, at the time, thanked his lucky stars that Bale skied the ball over Cakir’s net.

Turkey were well beaten and Celik will not have added any millions to his market value.

LILLE, FRANCE – MARCH 8: Mehmet Zeki Celik of Lille celebrates the victory following the Ligue 1 match between Lille OSC (LOSC) and Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon, OL) at Stade Pierre Mauroy on March 8, 2020 in Villeneuve d’Ascq near Lille, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

5. Turkey, the tournament’s most overrated side?

Turkey came into the tournament with a reputation as dark horses and with both Wales and Switzerland in their group many were suggesting that they could even progress alongside favourites Italy.

However it was evident from the first evening against the Azzurri that it was not going to be as people expected.

Turkey offered very little and Italy were able to sweep the signs their opponents with little opposition. Burak Yilmaz, likely taking part in his final international tournament, struck an isolated figure.

Whilst against Wales he was able to get into game a lot more, it became very evident that in addition to the Lille striker, Hakan Calhanoglu, Cengiz Under, Zeki Celik and Karaman were not enough to break down the defensive might of the Welsh.

Beyond them, the strength in depth just wasn’t there and ultimately Turkey will go down similar to how Austria faired in 2016.

BERGAMO, ITALY – DECEMBER 22: Hakan Calhanoglu of AC Milan during the Italian Serie A match between Atalanta Bergamo v AC Milan at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d Italia on December 22, 2019 in Bergamo Italy (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Soccrates/Getty Images)

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