Uruguay: What to expect.

Given Uruguay’s recent performances at World Cups, one could be forgiven for thinking that the past glories of the nation have left them forever. Failure to qualify for Germany in 2006 and their erratic displays in 2002 have certainly added weight to the claim that they are no longer a side who threaten to advance beyond the groups let alone reach the latter stages of the tournament. Their qualification campaign further strengthened the argument that Uruguay are a decent team who always have a good chance of qualification but are unlikely to make much of an impact if they make it.

It is undoubtedly true to say that the team is very much an outside bet to progress beyond the second round. Having said that though, the team has the players to make any team who they come up against nervous. Up front there can be few nations blessed with the talents that Uruguay have available to them. Last year’s Pichichi (La Liga’s top goal scorer), Diego Forlan, will undoubtedly be a first choice and with highly rated young players such as Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani, not to mention Uruguay’s second all time top scorer, Sebastian Abreu likely to be in the squad, Oscar Tabarez will have options in attack that their group rivals will be jealous of. All four can take their chances when they come along and there is little doubt that chances will come, at least if Uruguay play with a similar style that saw them qualify for South Africa 2010.

Throughout the qualification campaign  Uruguay were giving several of their players licence to focus on creativity and attacking play. This led to them being the third top scorers in the qualifiers, outscoring even Messi’s Argentina. However, in turn it put a great deal of pressure on their defence and goalkeeper who at times had to perform miracles to keep their opponents out.

Whether Tabarez will continue with this approach in South Africa is difficult to know but one can be sure that if he does, the defences of France, Mexico and the hosts themselves will be greatly troubled. On the other hand, in order to qualify from the group it may be necessary to tighten things up slightly. They start proceedings against France and if they want to take anything from the stumbling giants they will have to ensure that players such as Franck Ribery are met with a sturdy opposition in all areas of the pitch. If there is one thing that Uruguay fans can be sure of it is that the challenges will always be 100% committed if not 100% accurate.

Depending on the performances of  South Africa, who in this writer’s opinion are wildcards due to their status as hosts, there is every chance that the final group game between Mexico and Uruguay will decide who takes the second slot in the group. Uruguay must put together a run of consistent performances if they want to make an impact at the world cup, and in order to do that, Tabarez will have to perform a balancing act. Quelling the attacking instincts of the team will be difficult but if he can do that he must also manage to maintain the team’s attacking force in spite of a more responsible approach to defending.