Wales international Chris Mepham has stated that his teammates need to have the back of manager Rob Page ahead of their crucial Euro 2024 group stage qualification fixture away at Latvia on Monday.
Page has come under pressure from the Welsh support for recent results stemming from a disappointing 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign that saw them knocked out in the group stage after accruing just one point from three games.
Since then, Wales have won just one of their last five fixtures, which include a 2-4 home defeat at the hands of Armenia and most recently a goalless draw against South Korea in a friendly this past Thursday.
Bournemouth defender Mepham, who has been capped 40 times by his country, has suggested that it’s down to the players to pull themselves together and get the job done on the pitch.
“It was important that we have his back and we show that we’re more than good enough to get results.”
“We’re responsible. As a manager you can only give so much. It’s down to us to go out on the pitch and deliver.”
Wales currently sit fourth-placed in Group D, two points adrift of the top two, where they need to finish in order to seal qualification for Euro 2024 in Germany. Latvia meanwhile, are rock-bottom of the group without a point to their name and anything less than victory for Page’s side in Riga would be considered an absolute disaster. To only have beaten them by a goal to nil in the reverse fixture was seen as a big disappointment.
Following that, Wales’ next qualification match comes in October when they host Croatia, third-placed finishers at last year’s World Cup and UEFA Nations League runners-up before two games in November against Armenia and Turkey respectively.
