Gemma Grainger allowed herself a cursory smile before returning seamlessly to her reliably unswerving pragmatism. The odds of getting the Wales Women’s manager to admit, even in jest, that her side’s upcoming clashes against Greece and Slovenia – from which if four points are secured Wales will clinch a historic berth in the 2023 World Cup play-offs – are anything beyond “game day nine” and “game day 10” were always going to be slim.
But even international managers can outdo themselves.
“People talk to me about the play-offs, and I’m like 'yes, the play-offs exist, we’re currently not in the play-offs,” Grainger said in the lead-up to Wales’ penultimate qualifier away to Greece. “Our ambitions have been outlined from the beginning. We know what the target is, but it’s very much our focus [on Friday]." She pauses slightly, then adds: “Which is game nine.”
