By Hritika Sharma
(Reuters) – Twice world champions Uruguay were once a dominant force in world football and while their star does not shine as brightly as it once did they can still make plenty of noise in Qatar with their blend of hardened veterans and exuberant youngsters.
Oscar Tabarez’s 15-year reign ended in December after four straight defeats in the qualifying campaign, with Diego Alonso turning things around by winning his first four games in charge to seal their World Cup spot.
‘La Celeste’ may still rely heavily on ageing stalwarts Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin but they have emerging talents in Darwin Nunez, Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur.
“They are players who are at a great world level. They make a difference physically and technically,” Suarez told Marca.
“Our squad, a mixture of experience and youth, has a lot of qualities, and that has a big influence on a World Cup.”
Alonso, however, is still looking for the right balance between the veterans and youngsters, and has not yet found a system to bring the best out of his talented squad.
Captain and centre back Godin played the most minutes in Uruguay’s qualifying campaign but is in the twilight of his career at 38 and missed September’s friendlies against Iran and Canada due to injury.
The Suarez-Cavani duo, veterans of three World Cups with 126 international goals between them, has long been a hallmark of Uruguay’s attack but Alonso seems to have concluded that he cannot continue to pair the two 35-year-olds together.
Nunez also looks better suited to playing in Uruguay’s tried and trusted 4-4-2 alongside either Cavani or Suarez but fielding three in midfield allows Uruguay to play to their strengths, with Matias Vecino anchoring Valverde and Bentancur.
Against Iran, Uruguay conceded the only goal of the game after Alonso took Vecino off and they looked even more vulnerable at the back after dropping the defensive midfielder altogether in their 2-0 win over Canada.
They would have been punished by stronger opposition and will surely face sterner tests in a balanced Group H also comprising Portugal, Ghana and South Korea.
Uruguay beat then-European champions Portugal in Russia in 2018 on the way to the quarter-finals and overcame Ghana and South Korea en route to the last four in 2010 – the furthest they had gone since 1970.
If Alonso can solve the selection dilemmas that flummoxed his predecessor, Uruguay could be well-placed to advance to the knockouts with another deep run a possibility in Qatar.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
