Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 23/03/22...

[WhiteJC]

Williams: Wales qualifying for World Cup would be 'dream come true'

Neco Williams has said that it would be a "dream come true" for Wales to qualify for the World Cup and end their 64-year wait to participate in the tournament.

Wales come up against Austria in a World Cup play-off semi-final at the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday night.

The winners of this tie will battle it out with Scotland or Ukraine for a place at this year's World Cup. The Dragons have not graced the competition since 1958.

"It's massive. It's been a long wait, a long time since Wales qualified for a World Cup," Williams said.

"I'm sure the whole of Wales is looking forward to this game.

"If we win that, then we're one step closer to the World Cup.

"You think about it all the time. As players you always want to play in the biggest of tournaments and on the biggest stages.

"We've got an unbelievable chance of qualifying for the biggest tournament in the world.

"Hopefully we can do that and showcase to the world what we can do, what quality of players we have and the team we have.

"Qatar is an unbelievable place and to play there against the best teams in the world would be a dream come true."

Wales have been boosted by the presence of skipper Gareth Bale after the Real Madrid forward missed Sunday's Clasico with Barcelona through injury.

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti said after the game Bale "didn't feel well" and that Wales would decide whether or not he features against Austria.

Bale trained with the rest of the Wales squad before the media on Tuesday and showed no signs of discomfort.

"He's a professional and a world-class player so he knows how to look after himself," said Williams, who has shone for Sky Bet Championship leaders Fulham since making a January loan move from Liverpool.

"He's been training with us and he looks fit and sharp.

"As long as he feels ready and he's in the best shape possible, then we all know what Gareth's capable of."

Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Chris Gunter, Joe Allen and Wayne Hennessey make up the senior group of Wales players who know it is probably now or never as far as playing at a World Cup is concerned.

But 20-year-old wing-back Williams insists qualification for Qatar is as much motivation for Wales' younger generation.

He said: "Just as much as the older senior lads want to qualify, it's exactly the same for us younger lads.

"We're all in the same boat, we all want to qualify, and it would mean everything to us.

"This team has a special bond and chemistry and you can see that on the pitch.

"We know each other, how we play and the style we want to play.

"You saw that in the recent performances and results against Belarus and Belgium – and our only focus now is on this semi-final."



https://www.football365.com/news/williams-wales-qualifying-world-cup-would-be-dream-come-true

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Glen Johnson offers verdict on Liverpool player's future amid Fulham links

Joe Gomez has been with Liverpool since 2015 but since suffering a knee injury in 2020, his involvement in the Reds team has been limited.

So far this season Gomez has made only five Premier League appearances.

According to Graeme Bailey, Fulham are one of four teams said to be interested in recruiting Gomez's services for their side.

However, Gomez is under contract at Liverpool until 2024, so he doesn't have to depart the club if he doesn't want to, neither do Liverpool have to accept any bid they think is unfair.

Speaking to Bettingodds.com, former Liverpool and England defender Glen Johnson offered his thoughts on what he thinks the 24-year-old should do: "I don't know about where exactly but yes, Joe Gomez should move.

"He's only getting older and he needs to play. When he's fighting fit he's a fantastic player but he'd probably be the first to tell you he hasn't played enough football.

"He's been unlucky with injuries but I definitely think the guy could have a really good career. But you can't have a good career if you're not playing.

"So for him personally I think he needs to either make it clear and really try get into this team or accept it and move on and play his football elsewhere."

Aside from his domestic career, Johnson looked forward to how a move could impact his England career.

At this stage, Gomez has 11 caps for England although Johnson feels like he has the ability to gain more as he said: "You're not getting into Gareth Southgate's England team if you're not playing for your club. Let's face it, Joe Gomez is not in Gareth's plans at the moment.

"I think he's good enough to be, but to turn a manager's mind around in three months is going to be hard work.

"You just don't know. Maybe he'll just run out of time for the World Cup at the end of the year but if there's any chance for him to head to Qatar then he needs to play."

The Verdict:

It's hard to disagree with Johnson on this one as the young player isn't getting game time at Liverpool and looks unlikely to in the near future.

Gomez has been unlucky with injury but now he is able to play, at the age of 24 he will no doubt be eager to push on and make sure this vital time in his career goes well.

As Johnson points out, whilst he is not getting game time Gomez will not be looked at for the England squad but he does have the talent to be considered in Gareth Southgate's plans.

Therefore, you can see that a move for Gomez this summer would help him take his domestic and international career to the next level and stop him stagnating.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/glen-johnson-offers-verdict-on-liverpool-players-future-amid-fulham-links/