Image caption, Wales have not kept a clean sheet in any of their past nine matches ByChris Wathan, BBC Sport Wales and Ian Mitchelmore, BBC Sport Wales Published 3 hours ago Craig Bellamy didn't waste his words when asked for his thoughts on Wales' opening four games of their return to the top tier of the Nations League.
"Tough," Bellamy admitted.
It is hard to argue after a window that saw Wales lose three of their four fixtures, beaten in Portugal and Denmark and – following the lift of an eye-catching win over Norway – beaten again by the Danes.
That said, Wales' hopes of staying in League A – and the possibility of securing a Euro 2028 seedings boost – remains in their own hands going into next month's final pair of fixtures.
But what lessons can Wales take from the two-week test of their credentials?
The new format doesn't help In the immediate aftermath of the Denmark defeat, Bellamy had the new four-game window on his mind.
The former striker insisted the idea made "no sense" and suited the bigger nations, some of whom – such as Jurgen Klopp's Germany – named two squads for the four games.
Any hopes of extended time with the squad to make a coaching impact on the training pitch evaporated amid the reality of the travel and recovery between games.
And the fear that an untimely injury to a key player would see them miss four games rather than the two they would have previously was proven to have foundation when Harry Wilson and Joe Rodon were deemed unfit before a ball was kicked.
It would have been a problem in the past during the peaks of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey and the like, but is even more so now.
Throw in the intensity with which Bellamy wants to play, and the drop off in energy was evident after a relatively promising start against Denmark.
"I felt we were a little bit flat, not as intense as we wanted it to be," reflected midfielder Jordan James.
"That was expected after a really tough game the other day." The issue goes beyond the pitch with a few too many empty seats on Sunday night's game for anyone's liking.
There was some hope among Football Association of Wales officials that the additional fixtures would create further momentum in the window, but the draining impact of cost and travel for fans seemingly took its toll – and will hit the revenue.
Wales' issue in all aspects is that they have no option but to get used to it.
Euro 2028 qualifying – and the chance of playing in a major tournament on home soil – will adopt the same format for games next September and October.
Bellamy bemoans new schedule after Denmark loss Published 18 hours ago Hojlund penalty condemns Wales to Denmark defeat Squad depth is an issue It has highlighted a problem for Bellamy that seems difficult to solve.
"I look at the players who came off the bench; Wes Burns plays in League One, Mark Harris plays in League One and Josh Sheehan has played for years in League One," summed up former Wales striker Iwan Roberts.
"That is the problem: when the starting 11 is not working, Craig Bellamy looks over his shoulder, and it's not nice to say, but he's looking at League One players to try to make the difference." He added: "We just haven't got the strength in depth to make the impact that you need in games when we haven't got the players that were out injured in this international break." Already without several key figures, David Brooks - who has not started a league game for Bournemouth this season - was also forced to withdraw midway through the camp due to injury to further limit Bellamy's options.
Fresh from his terrific display in which he netted Wales' opener and won the free kick for Neco Williams' stunning second, Dan James did not feature against the Danes on Sunday.
Kieffer Moore was also not introduced until late on with the score at 1-0 to Brian Riemer's side.
It brings us nicely to the next point...
Figure caption, Nations League highlights: Wales 0-1 Denmark Substitutions and selection still confuse fans In the immediate aftermath of the defeat by Denmark, Roberts questioned: "I think questions have to be asked when we are chasing the game, when we did concede that goal with 15 minutes to go, why on earth he didn't bring Kieffer Moore on until 83 minutes?
And he didn't bring Dan James on at all." Prior to the match, Bellamy had confirmed James was not fit enough to start, although he had hoped the Leeds United winger would have been able to feature off the bench.
Ahead of the four-game window, Bellamy cited his desire for Wales to find "the next Harry Wilson" in the absence of the 29-year-old.
But many supporters were subsequently critical of the head coach's remark given that no new debuts were given during the international window while some others who have struggled to hit the desired heights for their country were given more opportunities.
Harry Wilson is still key No player has scored more Wales goals since Bellamy took charge than Harry Wilson.
His absence was sorely felt as Wales failed to score in three of their opening four League A matches.
It led to former Wales frontman John Hartson calling for more calm from other attackers such as Brennan Johnson, Kieffer Moore and Lewis Koumas.
"We are snatching at things.
We need to slow it down a little, you've always got a bit more time," he told BBC Match of the Day Wales.
"We're playing at the highest level with lots of players at Championship level, but they have to find a way." A fully-fit Wilson could be transformational for Bellamy and Wales as they bid to achieve their goal of avoiding relegation back into League B next month.
Image caption, Harry Wilson has scored 17 goals in 69 caps for Wales Ethan Ampadu has gone up a level These four games were evidence of the new levels Ethan Ampadu has reached.
The Leeds skipper offered performances that simply highlighted his growing maturity.
He made his mark on games in a way he might not have in the past and showed he is very much a player Wales can rely on.
"He does it every week, eight out of 10 every game," said former striker Sam Vokes.
"The crowd were singing his name at the end, he gives everything." A "dream" player was how former striker Nathan Blake put it, while Robert Earnshaw suggested Wales can expect more going forward.
"There's more levels to him," he said.
"Look at Harry Wilson last year – Ethan can do the same.
There's more to come." They can compete at this level Denmark away was a pretty dismal night, but there were positives in Portugal.
And if Denmark at home felt a game too far, there was plenty to like about the Norway win that gives hope to cling to.
Especially given that, before this window, Wales had yet to win a game at this level of the Nations League.
Ultimately, when the disappointment lifts a little, Wales were beaten by single goals in two games – with the most recent via a penalty following an avoidable mistake.
"The quality's high which we expect," said Jordan James.
"You get punished for little things, but I've also realised that you can play at this level.
We've competed well and the last two games we've been well in them." How much money do clubs get for Nations League players?
Published 5 days ago Haaland 'gave me his shirt... but didn't take mine' Published 3 days ago There's still plenty to play for The win over Norway – coupled with their defeat by Portugal on Sunday – means Wales are still third heading into the final games, courtesy of the head-to-head nature of this competition's tie-breakers.
Over the previous three Nations League campaigns combined, teams that finish bottom of a League A group have an average of 2.92 points after their six games.
Wales already have three points, and they still have to play Norway in Oslo and Portugal in Cardiff in November.
Before the current international camp even started, Bellamy spoke about targeting third place.
That would give Wales a chance of avoiding being relegated to League B and it would also improve their seeding for the Euro 2028 qualifying draw.
So what about teams who finish third in League A?
In the 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2024-25 campaigns combined, teams finishing third in League A groups have ended with an average of 6.42 points from six games.
It means Wales would realistically need one more win, or maybe two draws, to stand a chance of finishing third.
Even if they finish fourth, the tweak to the format means that only the two worst-ranked bottom sides go down automatically, with the other two heading into a play-off against a League B runner up.
With Serbia, Turkey and Czech Republic yet to register a point, they may already have done enough to line up a two-legged battle for survival in March, with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, Scotland and Kosovo among the potential opponents.
