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Keeping up with South America - Uruguay News

Matias Vulej, June 9 2010,
It's been eight years since the Charruas showed their worth in a world championship. Diego Forlan and his team will have to make up for the lost time by the end of the week.

The last American team in South Africa. Will they celebrate after this week's matches?Uruguay was one of the last two teams that reserved their ticket for this championship in South Africa, for Oscar Tabarez's presence in this competition is almost a miracle, considering the irregular performance of the team during the qualifying stages.

Having performed only on 4 of the last 7 World Championships, most of team's players do not have experience on such challenging tournaments. Nevertheless, most of them are key players on different international leagues, lowering the weight of this fact.

 


The importance of being Celeste

The last few matches have shown the style of playing Uruguay has shown during the last years: All the team appears to be pointing forwards, for Lucas Suarez and Diego Forlan's expertise in the last meters of the fields are without a doubt team's main strength. Nonetheless Diego Lugano and other experienced defenders offer the team solidity in the back lines, fundamental when much of their strategy relies on counter-attacking.

One of Tabarez's main problems during the last four years have been to find a solid man between the posts, and Fernando Muslera has won thanks to his regularity Celeste's gloves. Uruguay however, received an average higher to one goal per game in 18 matches.

Two of team's most prolific strikers, Diego Forlan and Sebastian Abreu (current top striker with Tabarez, with 15 conversions) recognized the lack of egoism as one of team's strength, against the quest for individual fame many other players sail for wearing its National Team colors. Every player appears to add their bast for Tabarez's explosive combo, and under this light it's understandable how all the last friendly matches have shown Uruguay at its peak.

Uruguay's classic 4-4-2 formation suffered a variation during the last matches, for team's coach appears to make midfield's playing its priority with the Celeste. Diego Lugano's versatility in the back line offer the Maestro the opportunity to rotate the defenders between the bands or concentrate on the center.

Diego Forlan is the one to take Uruguay as far as possible in this competitionMaximiliano and Palito Pereyra will have the responsibility of driving the ball from the bands, a fundamental task considering the Celeste is lacking a creative attacking midfielder due to Cebolla Rodriguez's absence. The Maestro need a good beginning to dispel the clouds its team's last minute qualification casted upon his head. Karmic balance is judging Uruguay's performance, for the team has won one third of the eighteen qualifying matches, tied in six and lost on the same number of occasions. The circle will have to be broken before Uruguay's debut against France on June 11th.

 

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