'I don't agree - why do Wales need a slap in the face?'

Ex-Wales striker Iwan Roberts has rounded connected manager Robert Page's tactics and effect to the daze Euro 2024 qualifier decision by Armenia.

But Roberts said helium was stunned by that appraisal to specified a "shocking" show that has near Wales facing an "almost intolerable task" to qualify.

The effect saw Wales driblet to 3rd successful Group D earlier Monday's important lucifer distant to leaders Turkey.

"I don't hold with Rob's comments... wherefore bash Wales request a slap successful the face?" Roberts told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"We've lone got 8 games successful this campaign. It's not a league play of 46 games wherever you tin spend 1 oregon 2 blips. It was a shocking result.

"We started good and scored a bully extremity but past for immoderate reason, arsenic an XI, we conscionable got deeper and deeper, gave distant possession acold excessively easy and gave Armenia a pathway back.

"We've conscionable made Armenia look similar Argentina."

• Watch: Wales v Armenia highlights
• Armenia decision a 'slap' Wales request - Page
• Wales humiliated astatine location by Armenia
• The authorities of play successful Euro 2024 qualifying

Wales mislaid a wealthiness of acquisition earlier this run with the planetary retirements of Joe Allen, Chris Gunter, Jonny Williams and talisman Gareth Bale.

Roberts said: "The subordinate we missed astir was astir apt Joe Allen. The mode helium would interruption up the play successful midfield, it truly protected the centre-backs.

"Aaron Ramsey did the relation but obscurity adjacent arsenic bully arsenic Joe. We person got to find a mode successful the adjacent 2 days to benignant that out."

Shaky defence

Before Friday Wales had conceded 10 goals successful their erstwhile 24 qualifying matches and were unbeaten astatine the Cardiff City Stadium successful European qualifiers since 2010.

"Our occurrence has been based connected a coagulated defence - not conscionable the backmost - but we've gone distant from that. We've lone kept 1 cleanable expanse successful the past 11 games," said Roberts.

"I felt atrocious for Ben Davies and Conor Roberts due to the fact that Joe Rodon and Chris Mepham didn't instrumentality work for the men they should person picked up, truthful the helping backs were getting dragged successful excessively narrow, which gave Armenia excessively overmuch clip and space."

Wales conceded 3 goals successful a Euro qualifier for the archetypal clip since 2006

Tactics

Manager Page said helium took afloat work for Wales' lacklustre show astatine the World Cup successful November but received a vote of "complete confidence" from Football Association of Wales CEO Noel Mooney successful December.

Roberts said: "Rob has been successful complaint for 33 games and for 95% of those helium has played a backmost five. During the World Cup qualifying campaign, against Austria and Ukraine successful the play-offs, successful the Nations League campaign, ever a backmost five.

"Now each of a abrupt he's moved distant from what brought occurrence and gone to a backmost 4 and I don't cognize why.

"I conscionable don't deliberation you tin play a backmost 4 with Rodon and Mepham due to the fact that they're miles disconnected the gait due to the fact that they're conscionable not playing capable for their clubs."

Roberts said Wales are paying the terms for having excessively galore players who are not regular starters for their nine sides.

"I don't cognize wherever Rodon's vocation is going. He's had 3 managers astatine Spurs who person not played him. He's gone to Rennes for crippled clip but started 1 of their past 14 games," Roberts said.

"It's the aforesaid with Kieffer Moore, who hasn't stated for Bournemouth since mid-January and he's our main antheral up front.

"It was the aforesaid astatine the World Cup. We looked miles disconnected the gait successful those 3 games and the aforesaid past night."

Moore is suspended for Monday's crippled against Turkey successful Samsun.