Bellamy turns to 'greatest captain' Ashley Williams to help shut out Ronaldo and Haaland
Craig Bellamy has turned to the man he describes as Wales' "greatest captain" of the modern era to help his young side cope with the daunting challenge of keeping out Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland.
Former Everton and Swansea City centre-back Ashley Williams, who captained Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 against Ronaldo and Portugal, has joined a new-look backroom team alongside fellow coach Alan Sheehan, with the Football Association of Wales hoping the appointments add a missing ingredient in the bid to reach Euro 2028.
Wales go into their Nations League openers against Portugal, Denmark and Norway knowing they will have to defend far better than in recent times, and 42-year-old Williams — who won 86 caps, wearing the armband for more than half of those appearances after making his debut in 2008 — brings one of the most respected defensive CVs in Welsh history. He will not be adding to his international appearances. Instead, the much-admired former captain, whose coaching experience has been limited to informal roles and who is accustomed to a seat in the Match of the Day studio, will help shape a defence that has attracted criticism following the failure to reach the World Cup.
A surprise shake-up behind the scenes
Williams' arrival was something of a surprise, coming just weeks after it seemed Bellamy himself might walk away from the job amid interest from Burnley, and with the Wales boss having lost two key assistants. James Rowberry has opted to focus on his role with Mark Robins at Stoke City, while Piet Cremers — a man whose analytical work Bellamy said meant "everything" — left in July to join Belgium's Club NXT.
Cremers spent time under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and worked with Bellamy and Vincent Kompany during their successful period at Burnley, and was often the person Bellamy turned to mid-match. But the 47-year-old says he was already keen to take on more of the tasks the Dutchman performed.
"I loved this summer interviewing people, seeing who could add to us," said Bellamy, who has retained former Wales midfielder Andrew Crofts — now an assistant at Tottenham — in his setup. "It freshens you up, gives you a different eye. Different strengths coming in means a different dynamic to how you work, which leaves me quite excited."
Bellamy says Williams, and fellow new coach Sheehan, will help provide "a different dynamic" — but what exactly will they bring?
'He will immediately command respect'
The obvious strength Williams brings is his personality. Past team-mates for club and country will queue up to attest to his character as a player and a person, and with Bellamy's Wales a young side, the new coach mirrors the role the experienced Williams played on the field, where — senior to the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey — he was a leader among equals.
Euro 2016 colleague Sam Vokes is in no doubt that presence will carry straight into the dressing room.
"I played underneath Ash as a captain, and he was a great leader in the dressing room and led by example in the way he conducted himself on and off the pitch," said Vokes. "He can be someone who speaks from experience and go into that dressing room and immediately command respect.
"Portugal and Denmark away, he has played in those environments. He will be able to speak to the lads that are going out in those environments because he led by example, and led in the trenches many times."
Bellamy agrees, having retained a friendship with the former Swansea skipper after sharing a dressing room with him for Wales — the pair first played together under John Toshack.
"In my time he's been our greatest captain," said Bellamy. "Some ex-players with a certain presence can really add something, but also his knowledge of the game is really high, his football IQ is really high."
The 'dark arts' of defending
Wales might need it at the back. The appointments come against the backdrop of the failure to reach the World Cup and the beginnings of criticism around the side's openness — and the tests do not get much sterner than Ronaldo's Portugal, Denmark and Haaland's Norway in Nations League A.
FAW chief football officer Dave Adams told the Feast of Football podcast that Williams' defensive know-how could prove decisive.
"He'll bring some unique skills, particularly when you play Nations League A games when you have to defend a lot," said Adams. "Some of the dark arts of defending, he'll bring some interesting things for the players to think about."
There is also the thought that Williams would be prepared to challenge Bellamy's thinking, seen as a healthy part of any management team. But while the Wales boss says he is keen to lean on his former team-mate's defensive expertise, it will still be his own managerial message.
"With his position, sometimes it's easier coming from a player who's been in there," said Bellamy, a former Wales captain himself. "Now, I'll lead a lot on the information, but it's nice for me to be able to ask: 'What would you see with this? If you played there, how did you feel when I asked you to do that? Is that possible? Is that not possible?' I believe he'll be a huge asset to me."
Sheehan to sharpen set-piece threat
Sheehan's appointment also suggested a more defensive focus. The 40-year-old former Leeds, Leicester and Luton full-back and Republic of Ireland Under-21 international had been out of work since being sacked by Swansea City in November 2025 following a relatively unsuccessful seven-month stint, during which he was seen to have a pragmatic style. But Wales will also look to benefit from his eye for set-piece work, something he has been responsible for in previous coaching roles at Luton and Southampton.
"We really want someone who is in tune with restarts and set-pieces," added Adams. "In these sorts of games they could be the factor that give us a chance to win the game, because they are going to be very hard games to play in.
"We realise the importance of attacking and defending set-pieces in these next six games, and feel Alan and goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson will bring that level of detail to help the team be best prepared for these games."
Bellamy believes the new arrivals will "freshen up" his staff and provide a different dynamic as Wales begin building towards Euro 2028 — with Ronaldo and Haaland first in the firing line.