For a country that has an estimated three million people living in it, Uruguay certainly overachieve, much like The Netherlands do.
Considering the population, La Celeste have a lot of talented players to choose from, especially up front with this season’s Premier League top scorer Luis Suarez spearheading the attack.
Despite being the holders of the Copa America, Uruguay have a tougher task in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup compared to their fairy tale run in 2010.
Coach: Oscar Tabarez
Since 2006, Oscar Tabarez has been on the Uruguayan touchline and has been responsible for the national team’s resurgence. With several Diegos (Godin, Lugano, Forlan, Perez) headlining the golden generation, the 67-year-old took over following their elimination from qualifying for the World Cup that year.
Since then, it’s been a fast resurgence. Being a former defender and an experienced coach, Tabarez adjusted his tactics according to the players that he had at his disposal. It’s led to a fourth place finish at the 2010 World Cup and their record 15th Copa America title in 2011.
However, once key players like Forlan and Lugano started to show signs of aging, Tabarez realized that it was time to start giving opportunities to youth. The tactician took charge of the Olympic team, but they flopped in the opening round. They narrowly squeaked past the United Arab Emirates 2-1, but losses to Senegal and Great Britain ended their hopes of a medal.
Despite a rocky qualifying campaign which saw Uruguay finishing fifth in CONMEBOL, they crushed Jordan in the playoff in order to participate in this summer’s festivities. A lot of that has to do with Tabarez, hence why he’s the longest tenured South American coach.
Key Player: Luis Suarez
When someone thinks of Uruguayan football, they immediately bring up Luis Suarez and for good reason. The 27-year-old was the Premier League’s top scorer in 2013/14, bagging 31 goals, which is the joint-highest in a single campaign in league history.
Suarez also has a Copa America winners medal and he became the country’s top scorer last June. He now has 38 goals in 77 caps with Uruguay.
He’s a hard working forward who always wants to play. When he’s substituted, he’s upset that he can’t finish the game because he cares so much about leaving it all on the pitch.
One of Suarez’s underrated attributes is his vision. He had 12 assists in domestic play this year, only his teammate and future opponent Steven Gerrard (13) had more. With two of Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan, Cristian Stuani and Abel Hernandez up top with him, the Liverpool striker could be a key player in more ways than scoring for La Celeste.
One To Watch: Gaston Ramirez
Gaston Ramirez was a highly touted prospect when he was a member of Penarol and Bologna. He hasn’t quite lived up to his potential at Southampton, but he took some time to settle in England and had the occasional injury to deal with.
Even though he’s been slightly disappointing with his club, Ramirez has blossomed with the national team recently. In fact, thanks to his performance in recent friendlies, Tabarez is apparently keen on listing the 23-year-old as a key starter.
It’s easy to see why. Uruguay lacks creativity in midfield, so if Ramirez starts, it’ll take the burden off of the forwards, who have been required to assist, score and track bac
k to help defend. At least they’ll have one task to undertake.
How Far Can Uruguay Go?
Not very far, even if the fans and media think otherwise. The general consensus is that Uruguay should be able to qualify past the group stage along with Italy. Neither of them rate England, so supporters and journalists believe it’s down to the Azzurri and La Celeste to win Group D.
However, with an average age of 28, Uruguay is the oldest team in their group. England, ironically enough, is the youngest at 26. Seven Uruguayan players are at least 30 years old, and all but two (both backup goalkeepers) will probably start the opening match against Costa Rica.
The midfield is significantly weaker than the other three sides, the defence is old, Fernando Muslera is very unconvincing in goal, so Uruguay will most likely struggle to qualify past the group stage.
