Euro 2016: Wales will not just be making up the numbers, says Aaron Ramsey

Aaron Ramsey has warned Europe’s elite not to take Wales lightly at next summer’s finals in France.

Wales booked their place at a first major tournament since the 1958 World Cup, despite suffering a 2-0 defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina in Zenica on Saturday. Goals from Milan Djuric and Vedad Ibisevic could not dampen Welsh spirits as players, staff and fans celebrated in the pouring rain at the Bilino Polje Stadium.

Preparations for next year’s European Championship can now begin in earnest, but Ramsey has made it clear Wales will not be content simply to cross the Channel, play three group games and come home.

“We have been really difficult to beat and that can be really dangerous in a tournament like that,” said the Arsenal midfielder. “The best countries around Europe like to get the ball and attack and that can be quite dangerous as we can exploit that on the counter-attack.

“It is a good experience for everyone and we are just looking forward to going out there and testing ourselves against these big nations and having an opportunity to play in the finals.

“We aren’t going just to make up the numbers. We have been really difficult to beat in this campaign so we are going to give it everything.

“We have individuals who can make a difference and create something out of nothing and score goals,” added Ramsey. “So we can go there with a lot of expectation.”

Manager Chris Coleman echoed his sentiments and believes the tactical approach that has served Wales so well during this campaign – with a disciplined defence soaking up pressure and allowed the likes of Gareth Bale and Ramsey to strike quickly on the break – will do so again next summer.

“We can’t be going there thinking ‘it’ll be nice’. That is not what it is about,” Coleman said. “I think we’ve got the sort of players where we can soak it up and on our day we can hurt anybody.

“In this campaign we’ve got better at making the right decisions, when to close teams down and when not to close them down.

“In international football it’s not all about running about for 90 minutes like chickens without any heads – you’ll just get picked off. It’s about decision-making and we’ve got better at that.

“We’ve played like a good international outfit and that’s why we’ve got results. We’re either holding onto a 1-0 or a 0-0 and that takes real discipline. If you’re playing against the likes of Belgium with the type of quality they’ve got, it’s an art to get 11 players working in tandem without the ball.

“The group has grown immensely in this campaign, they’ve really matured and in big games they’ve produced nine times out of 10.”

Coleman’s existing contract runs out after the finals but he expects to sit down with the Football Association of Wales soon to secure a deal for the 2018 World Cup campaign.

“We have not set a date for talks because, in fairness to the FAW, I asked if we could wait until we had qualified as it would be a distraction,” said Coleman. “They have been true to their word and we will see what happens over the next few weeks. After this experience I would probably sign a 10-year contract, the way I feel at the minute.

“The thing for me is I know whenever I leave Wales I will never get the chance to work with players like Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey again, it is a big incentive.”