Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:37 am
Ryan Giggs reveals impact of Wales' travel problems and explains exactly why he made Gareth Bale captain against Denmark -
By Ian Mitchelmore
Sunday 10th September 2018
Ryan Giggs refused to blame travel problems for Wales' 2-0 Nations League defeat to Denmark at Ceres Park, as the team stayed in their hotel for five hours waiting for their delayed plane.
Tottenham star Christian Eriksen struck either side of the break to earn the Danes all three points as Giggs suffered the first competitive defeat of his reign as manager of the national side.
Wales' plans for the game in Scandinavia were far from ideal as their scheduled flight from Cardiff to Aarhus was severely delayed due to a technical fault with the team's aircraft.
They arrived at their hotel in the early hours of matchday.
But Giggs made no excuses for his side's loss to the Danes, adding that his side must accept criticism that comes their way having enjoyed the plaudits after beating Republic of Ireland.
Wales' manager Ryan Giggs during the Nations League, League B Group four match at Ceres Park, Aarhus
When asked if their delay in arriving in Aarhus impacted their performance, Giggs simply responded: "No.
"You want things to run smoothly but we were relaxed. We arrived, went straight to bed so that wasn’t an excuse.
"When you go down and are chasing a game against a good team, it’s difficult.
Denmark 2-0 Wales
"If we stayed in the game, even at 1-0 I’d have fancied us to get a goal.
"It’s my fifth game in charge so I’m happy with the progress we’re making.
"We took the plaudits on Thursday, now we’ve got to answer the questions after a defeat."
Wales' Gareth Bale applauds the fans after the Nations League, League B Group four match at Ceres Park, Aarhus
Giggs made two changes for the clash with Denmark from his side's emphatic 4-1 win over Republic of Ireland four days earlier.
Chris Gunter and James Chester both came into the starting line up as Gareth Bale took the captain's armband in place of Ashley Williams who was rested, with David Brooks having to settle for a place on the bench.
The Real Madrid talisman found himself dropping deeper as Wales struggled to carry a real threat at the business end of the pitch.
But Giggs did not feel having the pressure of the captaincy affected Bale's display, adding that he felt the 29-year-old was the best man to take over the duties from Williams.
Denmark 2-0 Wales
"I’m lucky because with Ash not in the team we have a lot of candidates for the captaincy," said Giggs.
"I felt he was the most experienced. When Gareth speaks, especially the young players listen.
"I could have picked others, Chris Gunter or Aaron Ramsey but I felt Gareth was best suited to the role out of all the players.
"I don’t think it did (affect his performance)."