Wales’ bid to reach a first-ever major tournament has taken a knock with striker Natasha Harding left out of Gemma Grainger’s 26-woman squad for the upcoming World Cup play-off campaign.
Harding's absence is due to personal reasons, according to Grainger. The Aston Villa forward has won 103 caps and scored 26 goals for Wales. Under Grainger, she has started every match, scoring six goals and creating two more to cement her status as a key performer in the Wales setup. Bristol City midfielder Chloe Bull has been called up as replacement.
Grainger acknowledged the important role Harding plays in terms of both leadership and output, but she stressed that the absence presents Wales with another opportunity to showcase their ability to adapt in the face of adversity.
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"Adaptability is a strong theme in any successful team, and that’s something we took from the last camp," Grainger said, pointing to Manchester United starlet Carrie Jones' impressive displays in place of the injured Jess Fishlock, in which the 19-year-old scored her first international goal.
"We’ve gotten through the campaign with different players at different times. It gives us great confidence in our preparation. Every player here is preparing themselves for whatever role they will play in the team, whether that’s as a starter or as a contributor when they come on."
Wales have their sights set on World Cup qualification after sealing an historic play-off berth with their second-placed finish in Group I earlier this month. Wales will host their semi-final playoff against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Cardiff City Stadium on 6 October. Victory would see Wales travel to Switzerland in one of three play-off finals on 11 October.
The two best-ranked play-off final winners secure places at the 2023 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, with the third entered into inter-continental play-offs taking place next February.
Wales are likely to be the side headed into the inter-continental play-offs should they defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina and Switzerland.
Fishlock fitness provides major boost
In a major boost, Fishlock has been included in the Wales squad, and Grainger is confident that the centurion can play a key role in the upcoming matches. Fishlock missed Wales’ final two World Cup qualifiers due to a slight hamstring tear suffered earlier in the previous camp. The magnetic midfielder’s absence was duly felt as Wales struggled to find moments of quality in the final third, scoring just one goal through Jones.
Since returning to the United States three weeks ago, Fishlock has enjoyed more than 100 minutes of competitive football with the OL Reign, drawing the game-clinching penalty seconds after coming on in the Reign’s clash with NJ/NY Gotham FC while helping to secure a position in the NWSL playoffs.
"From the moment [Jess] left, we contacted the club and wanted to put her at the centre of all of our decisions," Grainger said. "Jess has had a fantastic time at club level. She’ll be playing this weekend then jumping onto the plane and we’re very much looking forward to seeing her."
When asked whether the playoffs were in mind when the decision was made to keep Fishlock on the bench for Wales' final qualifiers, Grainger admitted that forward-thinking was necessary in order to keep Fishlock firing on all cylinders on the international and club front.
"We’re not going to put our players at risk if that wasn’t the right thing to do, and it wasn’t the right thing to do," Grainger said. "For Jess to be at the stage she is in her career, taking care of her so she can play for as long as she can is our number one priority."
Favourable opponent doesn't change game plan
Of the teams competing in the playoffs, Bosnia-Herzegovina are the weakest according to Fifa rankings, with Wales ranking 33 places above their semi-final rivals. Grainger acknowledged that the competition is favourable, but dismissed any suggestion that game plan preparations will deviate from those previous, citing a steadfast line from her managerial armoury that no easy match exists on the international stage.
"We are respectful of any opposition. Bosnia will be in a position where they want to come and give a good account of themselves. They’ll want to make it as difficult as possible for us just like any team," Grainger said.
"The focus remains on us and making sure that we deliver our game plan against Bosnia."
Grainger appreciates the pressure on the squad given the unprecedented opportunity but stated the challenge is one that she and the squad relish.
"I think we’ve always taken it one step at a time with this team. We know we want to dream big with this team. We want to qualify for a major tournament. When we celebrated in Cardiff [after Slovenia], for us, it was about the players taking the opportunity to take the next step as a team and that’s what we’re looking to do again, and that’s Bosnia.
"For me, it’s exciting because this is tournament football. You’re looking at Bosnia because it’s the next game but you’re also looking at Switzerland because of the tight turnaround so it’s a little bit of both. But between the staff and players, we’re looking to put in a professional performance against Bosnia and leave the pitch proud."
Wales have already sold over 9,000 tickets for their semi-final at Cardiff City Stadium. Grainger is hopeful that fans can once again make history by shattering the 12,741 attendance record set against Slovenia.
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