England rivalry can motivate Wales, says Gary Speed

By Alistair Magowan

Any coach or manager would want to manage their country and I'm no different Sheffield United coach Gary Speed

Former Wales captain Gary Speed says drawing England gives a promising Wales team a better chance to qualify for the 2012 European Championship.

Speed, Wales' most capped outfield player, has also challenged the team to beat sides they are not expected to.

"Of course Wales have a chance of beating England," Speed told BBC Sport. "If it was Spain, France, Germany or Italy I wouldn't be so sure.

"But because it's England, and it will be a derby, anything can happen."

England and Wales have been drawn together in Group G for the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, with only one team able to book their passage to Poland and Ukraine automatically.

Montenegro, Bulgaria and Switzerland make up the rest of the group as Wales aim to qualify for a major tournament for the first time since the 1958 World Cup.

Wales last faced England in two qualifying matches for the 2006 World Cup where Sven-Goran Eriksson's team ran out winners both times.

But with a Wales team boasting a crop of young stars that includes Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey, Tottenham's Gareth Bale and West Ham's Jack Collison, Speed says now is the time for the team to show their class at international level.

"A lot of Wales' young players played against England in the Under-21s game and did very well and were unlucky not to win," Speed added, referring to England's narrow play-off win in 2008 that booked their passage to last summer's European Championship.

If they could stick together, they could be there for the next 10 to 12 years Former Wales midfielder Gary Speed

"There is a great group of players there and [Wales boss] John Toshack has got them playing some nice football. But the only teams they have beaten are the teams they've been expected to beat. They need to change that trend in this campaign to stand any chance of qualifying.

"If Wales have those aspirations then they need to be beating the likes of Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro, certainly at home, and getting something on their travels.

"The England games will obviously be big, tough games, and there will be a bit of spice involved as well so you never know what might happen, but we've certainly had tougher groups in the past."

Speed, 40, earned 85 caps for Wales in his stellar career and is currently head coach at Sheffield United where he has been able to monitor Wales striker Ched Evans at close quarters.

And he says the former Manchester City striker has benefited from playing more regularly at the Blades - something he believes is crucial to the success of the Welsh team.

"With the young players we've got coming through we've got a chance. If they could stick together, they could be there for the next 10 to 12 years, which is remarkable really," said Speed.

"What Wales needs is for them to keep playing in the first-team squads especially at the highest level. With the likes of Ramsey, Bale and Collison in the Premier League, if they can stick in the first team then the future is very bright and Wales can capitalise on that."

Although Speed has been touted as a successor to Toshack he says there would be no benefit to changing the manager now.

But the former Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton midfielder still says he has hopes to manage his country one day.

"It's like being a player," he said. "Any footballer would want to play for their country and any coach or manager would want to manage their country and I'm no different.

"But I'm in no rush and for me as a coach it's very early days."