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The South American giants, Uruguay, have fallen off the grid slightly after dominating World Cup football in the early years of the competition. They won the tournament in 1930 and 1950, but since then, the glory days have evaded the two-time champions. In recent years, Uruguay finished fourth in 2010, making it to the semifinals after a dramatic encounter with Ghana in the quarterfinals.
This tournament will also be the swansong for many of their players, especially forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, who will be playing their fourth World Cup alongside Fernando Muslera, Diego Godin and Martin Caceres. The side will be complemented by a plethora of young stars, with a focus on Liverpool's latest striker Darwin Nunez, and Real Madrid's star midfielder Federico Valverde.
The addition of Ronald Araujo despite injury displays the intent of Diego Alonso, who became Uruguay's coach in 2021 after 15 years of Oscar Tabarez's stewardship. The 14th-ranked side has the firepower to show the world their capabilities, and being placed in a tough group might just bring out the best in them. Before moving forward, let's delve into Uruguay's schedule and squad for the FIFA World Cup.
Schedule: Uruguay vs South Korea: November 24, Uruguay vs Portugal: November 28, Uruguay vs Ghana: December 02
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera, Sergio Rochet, Sebastian Sosa
Defenders: Ronald Araujo, Sebastian Coates, Martin Caceres, Guillermo Varela, Matias Vina, Mathias Olivera, Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin, Jose Luis Rodríguez
Midfielders: Lucas Torreira, Matias Vecino , Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Ugarte, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Nicolas de la Cruz, Federico Valverde , Facundo Pellistri, Agustin Canobbio, Facundo Torres
Forwards: Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez, Maximiliano Gomez, Edinson Cavani
On paper, The Sky Blue boasts of players who are highly skilled and talented with no shortage of experience. The squad is stacked with just the right blend of youth and experience. With players like Valverde and de Arrascaeta growing in stature with superb performances for their respective clubs, Uruguay are a side that can deliver big blows to any team on any given day. Having said that, it will not be a swift sailing for The Sky Blue as the lack of youth in one department will make them vulnerable in clutch moments.
Ahead of the tournament, we take a closer look at the strength and deficiencies of Uruguay's national team.
The attacking talent that will make any team envious
Let's keep Suarez and Cavani in the backseat for a moment. What makes Uruguay a challenging team is the presence of creative players, who can play at multiple positions depending on the situation and create chances for strikers upfront. Flamengo's Giorgian de Arrascaeta is one such player. The 28-year-old can dribble past any defender with his creative skillset and storming pace while his vision and playmaking are top-notch. Against a team that likes to play from the back and has a dogged defence, de Arrascaeta becomes pivotal for Uruguay.
Then there is Valverde, who has enjoyed a sensational start to the season for Spanish giants Real Madrid. Valverde is extremely versatile as well. He can dictate the play in mid-field when the need be and is equally compact and eager to help the defence. The combo Valverde and de Arrascaeta is bound to keep the opposition's back-line on their toes and the duo's level of play will be instrumental in Uruguay's chances in Qatar.
The troika of Suarez-Cavani-Nunez is a nightmare for any opposition. The three attackers are in different stages of their careers but have one thing in common: the desire to fight for every aerial duel in the six-yard box. They are physically strong and extremely good at putting away chances. If Valverde and de Arrascaeta pull the string in mid-field and deliver pin-point forward passes, the troika of strikers up front can feast regularly.
The aging defence and a rookie manager
Uruguay have always had the luxury of some great defenders and the team's back-line led by Sebastian Coates and Diego Godin are feisty and dogged enough to frustrate the best forwards in the world. Having said that, it's their age that will put them in a bad shape against young and fast forwards. Coates is 32-years-old while Godin is 36-years-old, likely playing his last World Cup.
Thus, Diego Alonso's (Uruguay's manager) role becomes even more important and complex, and to make matters worse, the 47-year-old falls extremely short of experience when it comes to managing a team at the highest level. He only got the job 12 months ago and is now tasked to formulate a plan that makes a supremely-talented squad click in unison. Will the pressure of the moment prove too much for Alonso, who is never shy of displaying his emotions on the sidelines? Well, only time will tell.
