🔗 Share this article England vs Wales Strategic Analysis: Bellamy's Fresh Style Unpacked The Welsh national team have altered their style of play with Craig Bellamy. Looking at Robert Page’s final 12 games in charge with Craig Bellamy's opening 12 as Wales head coach, a noticeable shift has been a strategic change prioritizing ball control and controlling matches through possession. Under Robert Page: Aggressive Football Under Page, The Welsh intense style focused on pressing aggressively without possession, mainly in wide areas, predominantly using a flexible 3-4-3 system to push forward aggressively. Bellamy's New Direction The new coach has so far exclusively used a four-man defense, pushing the team to get on the ball and construct offensive moves with greater patience. Statistical Shifts This tactical shift has produced a far higher average amount of possession, a increased pass count and a small decrease in how often they turn the ball over high up the pitch. The team also shows a improved expected goals metric since Bellamy took over. The Big Question Can Bellamy's approach give Wales a improved likelihood of beating England? The strategic changes with the new coach represents a clear move from Page's methods. Increased possession More patient build-up Fewer losses in advanced areas Improved expected goals