Wales show there is life after Gareth Bale with emotionally-charged displays

T he Wales men’s football team have sidled into their transitional phase with a disarming, suspicious ease over the past five days, causing supporters to look over their shoulders uneasily, trying to find the catch. The performances won’t set pulses racing but an unexpected four points from the opening two games have left Wales joint top of Group D having played their most difficult fixture. Gareth Bale is irreplaceable. But there may be life after him.

The qualification campaign for Euro 2024 began in Split last Saturday night, as a new-look Wales squad travelled to a country who have never lost a European Championship qualifier at home, in a record that stretches back to 1994, and the 29-year-old goalkeeper Danny Ward’s earliest dalliances with solid food. Bale had retired in January, to be followed by more cult heroes from the class of 2016. Joe Allen, a player’s player; the shrewd, perceptive, metronomic presence in our midfield who allowed a succession of Wales managers to get the best out of Bale and Aaron Ramsey decided in February that his time at the highest level was over, followed shortly after by Jonny Williams and Chris Gunter.

Williams, so often the player to draw the foul that resulted in a Bale free-kick in a dangerous area, will be missed. Gunter, with his 109 appearances over a 15-year career making him the second-most capped men’s international after Bale, epitomised more than anyone the profound connection between the fanbase and the team. His faultless commitment to playing for his country gave him a popularity rating among supporters that would make the leader of a totalitarian regime blush. He immediately joined Rob Page’s coaching staff, like a cigarette smoker moving to a vape. The Wales