Expectations for Wales have changed because of Euro 2016, confesses Ryan Giggs

Their failure to make the 2018 World Cup hasn’t hurt their reputation as the Dragons managed to qualify rather comfortably for Euro 2020. But while a global pandemic has postponed the tournament by a year, Wales head coach Ryan Giggs has admitted that what then head coach Chris Coleman did at the 2016 Euros transformed the way the world saw Wales. Giggs further added that the expectations have changed for his side with them amongst the many favourites for the tournament.

“What Cookie did made people sit up and take notice. It also has had an effect on fans in Wales and expectations because expectations have gone up. I’ve experienced that; you’re expected to win every game and blow teams away at home, certainly against the not-so-big countries. It’s about managing that but the perception has definitely changed. What the country has done over the last four or five years probably deserves that status of being feared and being taken seriously,” Giggs told the Guardian.

“What Fernandes has shown is the consistency. Every game he looks like he’s going to do something; he’s going to shoot from 30 yards, create something and he is going to test the opposition. Pogba is capable of doing that but has perhaps done it for two games and then been quiet for a game and not quite had that consistency.