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In the critically acclaimed television series The Bear, head chef and lead protagonist Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto lays out a list of “non-negotiables” for staff at his upscale restaurant.
It is an exhaustive, 27-point mission statement featuring core principles such as “no excuses”, “details matter” and “every second counts”; a manifesto for Berzatto’s burning pursuit of perfection.
While no such document exists for Welsh football, some of these phrases have been heard around the Wales squad’s base in the Vale of Glamorgan over the past week as the team adapt to life under their new head coach Craig Bellamy.
Players have actually used the same terminology in reference to Bellamy, while he himself has mentioned “non-negotiables” in every one of his interviews so far.
Top of Bellamy’s requirements are hard work off the ball and unerring concentration during analysis sessions. Senior figures in the squad speak glowingly about his “intense” and “obsessive” approach.
There is something of Berzatto about Bellamy, both complex and compelling characters who are utterly consumed by their work and uncompromising about the standards they demand.
Bellamy is now two games into his tenure, and his non-negotiables have shone through.
Wales’ players press relentlessly when they are without possession, hunting in packs to win it back, while they are agile and inventive when they are on the ball.
The hours that players have spent in meeting rooms with Bellamy and his analysts are clear in the way they switch positions or change tactically according to the match situation or what their opponents are doing.
All this after Bellamy took his first training session only eight days ago. Every second counts.
“Habits have to be good,” he says. “Body language has to be good, showing intent.
“Do you work back for the team? Set-plays, are you alive? Throw-ins, a great opportunity to win the ball, are you alive to that? When you look to press, is your chest over your knee? Are you ready to go?
“I don’t like anyone waving hands, you achieve nothing from it apart from giving the opposition team an extra lift. I hold these quite dear.
“Being able to recognise all this, it sounds like it's just race, race, race. It’s not. Players are very clever. They are able to move into these situations. Do I expect it all to happen? No, there are certain times it won’t. But that’s what we’re looking to get to.”
Bellamy’s long-term aim is to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Before then, he wants his team to demonstrate a clear playing identity and, if possible, win their games while doing so.
That sounds obvious but for someone like Bellamy, whose will to win few can match, Nations League results are important. Asked what he would deem a successful campaign before it started, Bellamy simply said: “Win every game.”
However, these matches are also an opportunity for the head coach to implement radical change and get his team to play exactly as he wants.
That was evident during his first game against Turkey. Even though it ended goalless, this was a thrilling glimpse of what lies ahead and a bold antidote to the underwhelming display that had seen Wales fail to qualify for Euro 2024.
Dreadful playing conditions in Montenegro made it almost impossible for Wales to replicate that performance on Monday, but they were still able to secure Bellamy’s first win.
Even as torrential rain created chaos in Niksic, those non-negotiables were on show again. Bellamy beamed with pride at his players’ resilience and commitment.
Bellamy has laid out what he wants from Wales now and in the future, and there will be no negotiating how they get there.
“You keep on track. We don’t jump too far ahead. I believe no matter where it is in life, it’s a story,” he says.
“What’s our story? We’re starting a new chapter. Through the Nations League, what’s the story throughout our campaign? Where’s it going to lead us? What are we going to look to get out of it at the end? You get to a World Cup, what’s the story going to be then?
“It’s always looking to create a story. This week has been the first start of it. The building blocks towards it. Then be prepared for whatever comes. I’m prepared for all scenarios.”
