Joe Allen positive Wales can further European dream with result in Israel

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/mar/26/joe-allen-wales-israel-liverpool

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Joe Allen has never forgotten the disappointment he experienced as a schoolboy while watching Wales lose to Russia in the play-offs for the 2004 European Championship and the Liverpool midfielder said the current generation are using the memories of that chastening night at the Millennium Stadium to inspire them in their latest campaign.

Wales take on Israel in Haifa on Saturday and although qualification for the European Championship finals in France next year is a long way from being decided, there is no escaping the significance of a match that Chris Coleman, the manager, has described as the country’s most important since the two-leg tie with Russia in November 2003.

With Israel sitting top after winning their opening three matches and Wales one point behind after picking up two wins and two draws, victory for either nation would put them in a strong position in a group that Belgium are expected to qualify from as winners.

For Wales, who have spent far too many qualification campaigns making up the numbers, it feels like a refreshing change. There is hope, an air of excitement and a genuine chance to go one better than the team that lost against Russia and qualify for a major tournament for the first time since 1958.

“I was at the Russia game, my school used to go to the Millennium Stadium,” Allen said. “I remember the disappointment of that night, as do a lot of the lads. We came so close and that is extra motivation for us. For youngsters and supporters to have experienced that, we want to be the group to get there.”

The 2003 vintage was the era of Ryan Giggs, Gary Speed and John Hartson, and a time when Mark Hughes’s team captured the public’s imagination to such an extent that Wales sold 73,500 tickets for a home game against Azerbaijan. The challenge for Allen and his team-mates is to bring those days back to a nation starved of success on the international stage for too long.

“We used to go to school, then the match and there would be full houses at the Millennium Stadium which I will never forget,” said Allen. “We feel we are getting back to that level. We feel we have quality and much more strength in depth than we had in the past and seem to have less people dropping off. We are all excited to come away with Wales and excited for the challenges which are ahead. If you look at the last game at Belgium away, the commitment and hunger was obvious, and I don’t think it always has been [like that] in Wales’ international games.

“It is certainly there at the moment and with the group of players we have got I am hoping it is going to be around for years to come as well.”

With so much attention on Gareth Bale, it is easy to overlook the importance of Allen to this Wales side. Sunday’s defeat against Manchester United apart, Allen has been in impressive form for Liverpool and his composure on the ball could be invaluable in what is expected to be a hostile atmosphere in the Sammy Ofer Stadium.

Coleman has spoken about how Allen is showing greater responsibility on the pitch and the 25-year-old admitted he was a different player to the one who moved to Anfield in 2012 and initially struggled. “I look back to my first season at Liverpool and I was disappointed with the way I approached it at times,” he said.

“But the last couple of seasons I have certainly learned a lot and improved from having those experiences. My dip in form affected my confidence. It was the first time I had experienced that really and was new to me. At club level at Swansea it had always been progress, really. So it was a bit of a setback but I came through it and am really looking forward to the future.”

No more so than with Wales on the eve of a game that could shape their destiny on the road to France. “Israel have hit the ground running with three in three. You don’t do that by mistake,” Allen said. “But I think the self-belief, the start we have had, we are really confident we can go there and get a good result and keep putting pressure on the other teams in our group.”