Wales head coach Craig Bellamy is not concerned about a lack of game time amongst the Premier League players he has to choose from as he prepares for a Nations League double-header.
First up is a trip to Iceland on 11 October, followed by a home game against Montenegro three days later at Cardiff City Stadium.
Of the 25-man squad named by Bellamy last week, nine are on the books of Premier League clubs but only Tottenham Hotspur winger Brennan Johnson and Nottingham Forest defender Neco Williams have enjoyed regular starts in the Premier League so far this season.
But Bellamy is relaxed with regards to the minutes on the pitch for his Premier League players, seeing a silver lining in a lack of fatigue, while he believes the Championship – where the majority of his squad ply their trade – is a strong competition.
“They [the Premier League players] are fresh,” said Bellamy. “It [the Championship] is the sixth highest intense league in the world… it goes above international football, the intensity of Championship football.
“So the exposure of what our football over on these shores prepares you for – especially the first two levels – prepares you really well for international football.
“If you’re a highly successful player then the games come thick and fast, but that just comes with success… it means you’re doing your craft really well.
“The Championship, as we’ve all known, I’ve been in it numerous years, the intensity and the games come thick and fast.”
