Fulham’s Harry Wilson has been having the season of his life, simply in time for the World Cup this summer season.
However can the 28-year-old sustain his type and assist Wales qualify for simply their third ever World Cup this yr?
Harry Wilson’s season to date
To say that Harry Wilson is having a great season is an understatement.
Stats-wise, that is the very best season of the Welsh star’s profession within the Premier League to date.
Within the Premier League, Wilson has been Fulham’s shining star, scoring 8 targets and nabbing 4 assists in 22 video games. These have included pivotal targets in opposition to Chelsea, Liverpool, and a last-minute winner in opposition to Leeds over the weekend. He solely wants two extra league targets to match his finest return for Fulham. This came about within the 2021/22 season within the Championship, when he scored 10 targets.
Consider it or not, this isn’t his finest season ever, although. Again within the 2018/19 season, Wilson performed an integral half in Frank Lampard’s promotion-chasing Derby County facet. He scored 15 league targets and grabbed 3 assists as they went all the way in which to the play-off ultimate.
Regardless of this, this season is arguably his finest because of being within the Premier League.
Fulham are actually sitting fairly in seventh within the desk, simply 4 factors off the highest 4. It’s been a incredible season for the Cottagers to date. The West London facet are ones to observe within the cost for Champions League qualification this season.
Harry Wilson and Wales
It’s additionally been an excellent season for Wilson on the worldwide stage.
Again in November, the Fulham star scored a hat-trick throughout a 7-1 thrashing of North Macedonia within the World Cup qualifiers. He additionally performed an essential function in an important 1-0 win away in Liechtenstein.
For his nation, Wilson now has 17 targets, making him his nation’s eighth highest scorer of all time. With 67 video games underneath his belt for Wales, Wilson can also be one of the skilled gamers at present taking part in for his nation. That is regardless of being solely 28.
So will Wilson be capable to proceed his stellar league type and assist Wales qualify for the World Cup this summer season?
Wales’ path to the World Cup
After ending in second place of their World Cup qualification group, simply 2 factors behind Belgium, Wales must qualify for this summer season’s event the exhausting approach.
To qualify, Wales might want to win 2 extra video games: the WC Play-off semi-final and, in the event that they get by means of, the ultimate. In a stroke of fine fortune, the ultimate, in the event that they make it, will happen on the Cardiff Metropolis Stadium. It will give them a house benefit, with 30,000+ Welsh followers roaring them on.
However let’s not get forward of ourselves. To get there, Wales will first must face Bosnia & Herzegovina in Cardiff. Bosnia completed second of their qualifying group, simply behind Austria. That they had a great report in qualifying, shedding simply as soon as in 8 video games.
Wales don’t have the very best report in opposition to Bosnia. In 4 conferences between the perimeters, they’ve misplaced twice and drawn twice. The final time the 2 groups performed was again in 2015, throughout qualification for Euro 2016. Wales misplaced 2-0 away in Bosnia.
Nevertheless, that was 11 years in the past, with a radically totally different Wales squad.
Previous outcomes might look regarding, however that doesn’t imply we should always write Wales off. They’ve performed exceptionally nicely at occasions throughout qualifying, getting essential wins in opposition to Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, and Liechtenstein. In addition they greater than held their very own in opposition to Belgium, getting back from 3-0 all the way down to nearly seize a 3-3 draw. Nevertheless, a last-minute winner from De Bruyne ruined the celebration again in June.
Don’t write Wales off on this recreation – and if Wilson and his fellow compatriots flip up, Bosnia’s World Cup qualification marketing campaign might come to an finish in Cardiff.
How WALES CAN QUALIFY
Ought to Wales get by means of to the ultimate, they are going to face both Italy or Northern Eire.
Italy is a crew the Welsh will wish to keep away from. However, they’re not the unkillable monster they have been through the Euros in 2021. Since their win at Wembley in 2021, Italy have missed out on the World Cup in Qatar and completed second of their qualifying group. They ended up 6 factors behind Norway.
Northern Eire, nonetheless, shouldn’t be written off both. They didn’t have an excellent qualifying run, profitable simply 3 video games. However because of their performances within the Nations League, they’ve managed to e-book a slot within the play-off semi-final.
Ought to the semi-final go Northern Eire’s approach, they are going to face Wales in a ultimate in Cardiff that could possibly be a really shut affair. The final time Wales met Northern Eire was within the Euro 2016 knockout phases, the place Wales received 1-0 in a tightly fought recreation in Paris.
If the ultimate goes the opposite approach, nonetheless, Wales would be the underdogs in opposition to Italy. The final time the perimeters met, within the European Championships in 2021, Italy received 1-0 in Rome. Wales’ report in opposition to Italy isn’t the very best: they’ve received simply 2 of their 10 conferences and misplaced 8.
Welsh supervisor Craig Bellamy will probably be hoping for a repeat of their 2-1 win in 2002, when he scored the winner.
Can Harry Wilson assist Wales to the World Cup?
It’s actually going to be powerful, however Wales shouldn’t be written off after they return to the sphere in March.
Gone are the times of Gareth Bale and Robson-Kanu, but when Wilson retains up his wonderful type, he might step up and tackle the function Bale performed within the crew throughout his heyday – a pacesetter and a goalscorer.
He’s confirmed he can do it within the league, and he’s confirmed that he can play for his nation simply as nicely. 17 targets for Wales is nothing to be sniffed at, and places him forward of legends like John Charles, Cliff Jones, and Mark Hughes.
No matter who they play, Wales will want Wilson at his absolute best on the finish of March. The facet narrowly missed out on Euro 2024 on penalties and will probably be eager to proper the wrongs of two years in the past and qualify for the World Cup.
In the event that they do, they are going to have a great likelihood of constructing it out of the group phases, as nicely. Ought to they attain the event this summer season, they are going to face Canada, Switzerland, and Qatar – groups that they need to be capable to compete with and beat.
The World Cup in 2022 didn’t go the way in which the Welsh hoped, however with a youthful squad this time spherical and gamers like Harry Wilson within the type of their lives, issues are wanting much more hopeful.
First up, Bosnia – with all eyes will probably be on Wilson following his incredible season to date…
Do you agree?
