World Cup 2022: Wales' next journey starts with a new identity - Ashley Williams

It's time for Wales to think about what they have learned from this World Cup and what could have been done differently.

We need to shift our focus to the next major finals, the European Championship, in order to figure out what we are going to do to get there.

I am pretty sure that Rob Page is going to take us to Germany.

Some of the work that needs to be done for us to qualify for the World Cup has been shown in this tournament as a result of him getting us to it.

Wales need to find an identity

A clear identity is the first thing we need to do in order to be successful. We were very difficult to beat.

Our strongest side had probably nine seasoned professionals who had seen it all and weren't overawed by anything.

We always knew we had one of the best players in the world to get us something at the other end, and that's why we kept a clean sheet

Bale is getting older so it's a different situation for Page now.

We were thinking about the new approach but hoping the old one would work for us.

Now is the time to think about the future. Page needs to find out what is going to be the new thing for Wales in order to get back on track.

Are they going to play people or battle them?

The good news is that we have time to think about the next campaign for the Euros, which begins in March.

The top two teams in our group will qualify for the Nations League play-offs.

We must be thinking we can get to Germany, but at the same time Page has to decide what kind of side he wants us to be, and turn us into that team along the way.

Bale can bow out whenever he wants

Bale has said that he will play for Wales for as long as he can, and for as long as he is wanted.

It's great news for us. We haven't seen the Bale of Euro 2016 yet, but he provided a huge moment by scoring our penalty against the US.

He has a goal to add to his legacy for Wales.

I made the point on air that Ian Rush is the greatest Welsh player of all time, even though I was a pundit on the England game.

We had a discussion with Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand about Bale being the greatest British player of all time. The scale of Bale's achievements is shown by the fact that he was in the conversation.

He has always given his all for Wales and it has not been easy for him. Even though he was injured, he joined the squad, no matter where we were.

No one would complain about his commitment or his contribution to the national cause if he retired now.

It is fine with me if he bows out whenever he pleases. We might see him again soon, because he mentioned the Euros are around the corner. I'm hoping so.

A new nucleus to the Wales side

The nucleus of the team for the Euros, and certainly beyond it, is going to have to come from somewhere else.

There are some good young players and they all have a lot of caps.

Most of the players I am talking about have 40 or more caps as well as experience of at least one major final.

I think it's time for them to see what direction Page wants us to go in, regardless of who is there or not.

Ampadu is going to be a very important player for us in the next few years, I was really impressed by his performance in the tournament.

It's difficult for him because he's so versatile for us, but he hasn't nailed down a position.

If Page decides on a settled formation, that could change.

The flip-flops between three and four at the back don't help players when they come into the squad.

It is easier to know what you have to do if the team plays with a set shape.

This qualification campaign needs to change that. After Euro 2016 the goal was to make consecutive tournaments. Page has been able to manage that. We have to make it two in a row.

When I made my Wales debut in 2008, our approach was to do our best and stay in contention as long as possible.

We have come a long way in a short period of time and had a great time, but now a new journey begins. We need to work hard to get to the next party.

The man was talking to someone in the Middle East.

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