Ahead of the Euro 2016 Semi Finals I will be highlighting three players from each of the four teams : Portugal, Wales, Germany and France, who are likely to have a strong influence in the outcome of such crucial fixtures.
Wales
Aaron Ramsey has been one of the stand out midfielders in this tournament with his endless work ethic, sublime passing and also an undeniable desire to get forward. However an unnecessary yellow card against Belgium sees the Arsenal midfielder on the side-lines on Wednesday night to his, Chris Coleman's and the whole of the Welsh nation's despair.
Ashley Williams
Age : 31 Last transfer value : £400 000
Club : Swansea City International caps : 64
Position : Central Defence
Leader. Courageous. Passionate.
These are all words that spring to mind about the Swansea and Welsh skipper, whose header against Belgium saw them through to the Semi-Finals. Williams is an unmoveable rock at the back for Wales, he was not phased after unfortunately gifting England an equaliser with a poor header. Nor was the 31 concerned after injuring his arm against Northern Ireland. Nor was he fearful when Wales went behind to a Belgium team oozing with confidence. All in all Williams depicts the overall Welsh mentality. The 31 year old is a perfect fit alongside Collins and Chester in the Welsh defence, expect him to be the one to try and deal with the audacious Ronaldo. Williams offers a no-nonsense playstyle and will smash the ball off the pitch in Lyon all the way back to Wales if needs be. At the same time Williams's Swansea days mean he is more than content to play the ball out from the back and maintain possession.
Joe Allen
Age : 26 Last transfer value : £15 million
Club : Liverpool FC International caps : 30
Position : Central Midfield
The bearded one is yet to score for Wales, could Wednesday night on the biggest stage of all be Allen's time ? Almost certainly .... not. The Welsh midfielder has added more to his game, gritty tackling and more direct balls to name a few attributes, yet the Liverpool man is lacking in the goals department when compared to Aaron Ramsey. However Chris Coleman won't mind one bit since the 26 year old carries out his job to perfection, just have a look at the piercing through ball to Ramsey against Russia. A whole nation (and a handful of English supporters with nothing better to do), will be hoping that Allen maintains his current form and 'swagger' to set Bale free against Portugal. Allen's heavenly through balls in behind may be especially key if Pepe is out injured and Carvalho, a 38 year old veteran comes in to face Bale's unforgiving pace.
Gareth Bale
Age : 26 Last transfer value : £85 million
Club : Real Madrid International caps : 60
Position : Striker
It was a tough choice between King and Bale but I opted for the Real Madrid man and Welsh talisman for obvious reasons... Bale is the 2nd top scorer behind Atletico's Madrid's Antoine Griezmann and will be hoping that it's a different story by Thursday morning. However Bale is a team player and will want more than anything, even more than a shiny golden trophy, that Wales progress to the final. Despite not scoring in his last two games Bale has had a strong influence, a vicious cross forced McAuley to convert into his own net against NIR whilst he provided an unstoppable outlet to carry the ball at the cracks in the Belgium defence. Bale has scored 22 goals in 60 games for Wales, approximately netting in 1 goal in every 3 games. Perhaps this tells us he's almost guaranteed not to go 3 matches without scoring ? Whatever the statistics Bale is sure to evoke fear in Patricio the Portuguese goalkeeper and his somewhat shaky defence.
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