World Cup Team in Focus: Uruguay

The Uruguay football team, referred to as La Celeste or Los Charruas, are currently the sixth ranked side in the world. They represent a proud footballing nation with a trophy laden past which includes two prior World Cup triumphs, both won when playing on South American soil. The road to repeating that feat will not be easy, as they have been placed in the ‘Group of Death’ of this edition of the World Cup, alongside European heavyweights England and Italy. However, as reigning South American Champions, a lot will be expected of them.

The 25 man squad chosen for the World Cup has a massive amount of talent, and picking the final squad will not be easy for the coach. Looking at the squad in depth, the first choice stopper will obviously be Fernando Muslera, the Galatasaray keeper who has been impressive in club outings this season, and has the most international experience among the players chosen for the position.

In defence, the strong centre back combination of Captain Diego Lugano and Atletico Madrid powerhouse Diego Godin will not be relished by opposition strikers. Godin in particular has been outstanding for his club all season, making the most clearances in the league, in addition to scoring the crucial goal in their 1-1 draw with Barcelona that saw them lift the Spanish La Liga title. With Benefica right back Maxi Pereira and Juventus full back Martin Cacares rounding out the back four, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Often decried as Uruguay’s weakest point, they have been organised brilliantly under current coach Oscar Tabarez, and Porto defender Jorge Fucile and Liverpool youngster Sebastian Coates are also present in a capable looking backline.

The Uruguayan midfield has a large amount of international experience, and midfield lynchpins Diego Perez and Walter Gargano will be expected to link the attack and defence with their box-to-box abilities. Other notable names include wide man Chris Rodriguez of Atletico and Southampton attacking midfielder Gaston Ramirez.

All eyes, however, will be on Uruguay’s formidable attacking forwards. With several star performers, the coach will be spoilt for choice about whom to pick between Edinson Cavani, who scored 20 times for French Champions PSG, the massively experienced and lethal Diego Forlan, and talented youngster Abel Hernandez of Palermo.

They will be ideally partnering the highly talented – and controversial – Luis Suarez. The Liverpool frontman has been in sublime form all season, and easily became the top goalscorer in the English League with 31 goals despite missing the first six games of the campaign. It is also a sign of his talent, that just a year after being banned for ten games he received both the Players’ Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year Awards. Recently side-lined due to a knee surgery, every Uruguayan fan will be hoping that he makes a full recovery in time for the big games. The presence of Suarez on the field will be a major morale booster for the team, and if he is able to continue in the same vein of form, he will be the player to watch this tournament.

The team has been ably coached by Oscar Tabarez, who took over the team after they failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Since then, he has affected a turnaround in the team’s fortunes, instilling a sense of purpose and self-belief and leading them to fourth place in the 2010 World Cup and victory at the 2011 Copa America.

The coach has imposed his own style of football into the team, and has a strong bond with the current group of players. He prefers a solid, no-nonsense, defence first approach, and as a result Uruguay have been very tight at the back in major tournaments, conceding just 8 goals in 7 appearances in the 2010 Cup and 5 in 4 in the Confederations Cup. The preferred formation is a flexible 4-4-2, with mobile wide men who move to apply pressure where needed. The midfielders are expected to pressurize the opposition when off the ball and then look to play it through to their forwards when in possession. With the quality of forwards that the team has, this approach is guaranteed to net goals.

Ultimately, a lot will hinge on how the team copes with the European opposition. Uruguay are intimately familiar with the conditions in Brazil, and this will be a major edge against both England and Italy. The European teams might tire easily in the humid conditions, leaving them vulnerable to the swift attacks of South American oppositions. The fitness of Luis Suarez is also a crucial factor, and while Uruguay would be willing to rest him in their opener against Costa Rica, they will definitely want him to be match fit for the next two games. If the Uruguay team play up to expectation, there is no reason that they cannot equal or even better their performance at the last World Cup. If they get past the group stages, anything is possible in the knockout stages of the tournament and their fans will undoubtedly be remembering their last appearance in Brazil in 1950, when they stunned the hosts 2-1 to lift the World Cup in one of the biggest upsets in world football history. Whether they can achieve that this time around remains to be seen, but this is one exciting team whose games will definitely be worth a watch.

Squad: Fernando Muslera, Martin Silva, Rodrigo Munoz, Diego Lugano (c), Maxi Pereira, Diego Godin, Martin Cacares, Jorge Fucile, Sebastian Coates, Jose Maria Gimenez, Alejandro Silva, Diego Perez, Cristian Rodriguez, Walter Gargano, Alvaro Pereira, Sebastian Eguren, Egidio Rios, Alvaro Gonzalez, Gaston Ramirez, Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Abel Hernandez, Christian Stuani.