Wales boss warns Gareth Bale Switzerland will be out to stop him
Wales caretaker coach Brian Flynn has warned winger Gareth Bale that Switzerland will be setting themselves up in a bid to limit his involvement when the sides clash in a UEFA 2012 European Football Championship
qualifying match on Tuesday.
The game is a vital one for both sides as they look to make up lost ground in their qualifying group. Neither team has won any points and, with Montenegro (with nine points), England (six) and Bulgaria
(three) already ahead, time is fast running out for them to have any chance of qualifying.
With that in mind, Switzerland will be looking to nullify the considerable danger posed by 21-year-old Tottenham Hotspur attacker Bale, who is likely to be Wales’ biggest attacking threat.
Flynn, who has stepped up from the youth set-up to take temporary charge of the senior side, told reporters that the youngster would have to contend with the Swiss trying to bully him out of the game.
'Big responsibility'
He said that: "(In the last game) the Bulgarians doubled up on him. He has to be clever, he can't rely on pace to get him out of a situation. The tag of being a match-winner he carries on his shoulders.
He is regarded like that by Tottenham now. It is a big responsibility but he is capable of carrying that. I told him at 15 he was extra-special and I think he will get even better as well."
Flynn is also under pressure as he will have to deliver a positive result if he is to have any chance of winning the manager’s job, but added that it was important to pick up points for the sake of the
team rather than himself.
He said that: "I need Wales to win. "It is not about me, it is about Wales. I have not said a word to the players about my position. All I have said is that we can go to Basel and get a result."
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