Ryan Giggs hailed his Wales side for a ‘magnificent’ display in their 4-1 hammering of Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Nations League – then warned them they must do better.
Goals from Tom Lawrence, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey left the home side leading 3-0 at half-time while Connor Roberts got in on the act early in the second half before Shaun Williams netted Ireland’s minor consolation strike.
It was a fine way for Giggs’ competitive reign to begin in front of his home crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium and the former Manchester United star admitted things could hardly have gone much better. He won’t be resting on his laurels, however.
“The lads were magnificent, some brilliant goals and great football. I can’t be much happier,” he told Sky Sports.
“I said to the players, ‘the bad news is you have to keep to that standard’.
“It’s as simple as that and, when you drop below those standards, you’re letting me down and you’re letting yourselves down.”
A 1-0 home defeat by the Republic last October ended Wales’ World Cup qualification hopes and signalled the end of Chris Coleman’s reign but the home side looked energised under their new boss.
Real Madrid star Bale suggested the players wanted to make a statement for their new boss and agreed with Giggs’ sentiment that there is plenty room for improvement.
“We had to put in a good performance in the first home game of the new regime,” Bale said.
“We wanted to show what we’re capable of and make a statement.
“We’re looking to win every game and win the group. The manager is trying to stamp his own style on the team and there’s still a lot to improve on.”
Wales travel to Aarhus on Sunday to face Denmark in their second UEFA Nations League clash.
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