URUGUAY will have an interesting World Cup. In the last few years, they are a team that always had famous names in their squad, most notably, Suárez and Cavani.
Now Suárez is likely to have a new teammate as a striker alongside him and Real Madrid midfielder Valverde is in top form which now makes him their key player in 2022.
The South Americans will face Portugal, South Korea and Ghana in Group H and they are expected to reach the Round of 16 easily.
Predicted starting XI
Diego Alonso has tried and tested many different formations during his time in charge.
He has played a 4-3-3 on plenty of occasions, however, but 4-4-2 can also be used.
Fernando Muslera, 36, has been the first-choice keeper for over a decade and should be the regular again.
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Godín and José María Giménez, of Atlético Madrid, should bring some team chemistry from their previous club relationship to the national team.
There is a lack of pace in this area which is something that could cause problems.
The left-back is a highly contested spot with Mathías Olivera and Matías Viña both being capable. Olivera has played more regularly recently.
The midfield area is filled with some hard-working quality midfield players.
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The central area is likely to be covered by Rodrigo Bentancur and Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde.
Both players complement each other well and provide energy which allows Uruguay to play so aggressively.
The wide areas are a position that seems to change quite regularly, Nicolás de la Cruz and Facundo Pellistri likely to be the regulars.
Onto the front line where it is expected to be made up of national heroes of the past and the future with Suárez and Núñez the likely partnership.
The manager also has Edinson Cavani, Agustín Álvarez, and Diego Rossi available to play as strikers, so they have good squad depth in the position.
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Attacking phase
Uruguay are particularly strong in possession when making passes in the attacking third.
They also have good positioning, and the defensive players have good options to ping the ball forward.
To do this, the strikers chop and change positions and that is always confusing for the opponents’ defensive players.
The team’s midfield is a strong point. Valverde is having an incredibly versatile season at Real Madrid.
The player has a great capacity to finish as well as create chances and contribute with the man-marking.
Furthermore, when Uruguay are looking to sustain possession in the middle of the pitch they create a diamond with their two centrebacks and two central midfield players.
Doing this gives them a solid base to build upon and creates several passing angles.
This shape creates a central overload and allows Uruguay to keep possession easily.
The above image shows the full-back making a run into the space and waiting for a long pass, which shows good team chemistry.
The above example shows how wide player, Pellistri, picks the ball up in a more central area than a traditional winger would and, due to good positioning, becomes a threat to the opponents.
Defensive phase
The stats are very telling about Uruguay without possession. They rank highly for interceptions which shows this will be one of their strengths.
The image below shows Uruguay trying to pressure in the attacking field.
Two players are looking to directly apply pressure to the man receiving the ball with one man applying pressure to the next potential pass.
This aggressive press wins possession back high up the pitch and a goalscoring opportunity is created from this turnover.
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Highlighted in yellow, Canobbio drops deep to create a flat back five.
Nicolás de la Cruz, playing wide left, tucks inside to create a narrow midfield three.
This formation allows Uruguay to be more defensively solid.
As we can see below, working hard out of possession leads to Uruguay keeping short distances between each other as they shuffle across from side to side.
The Uruguayan defence plays extremely narrowly and encourages their opponents to play the ball out wide.
The risk that this carries is that if some quality attack is displayed then they will be broken down as they lack some speed at crucial moments, especially with the centre-backs.
Transitions
Upon regaining the ball, Uruguay focuses on progressing by making the most of their short and long passing skills.
The example above involves three quick short passes before a longer one.
The image above shows how three players look to press the nearest opponent.
Attackers
Uruguay have strong names like Edinson Cavani, Luis Suárez, and Darwin Núñez.
The latter is starting to find his feet at Liverpool and he’s an important player in his national team.
Agustín Álvarez and Diego Rossi will also provide good cover and will gain valuable experience from being a part of the squad.
Midfielders
Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Torreira and Matías Vecino provide the central midfield with lots of depth and quality.
Valverde and Bentancur are likely the first-choice midfield partnership but all four are more than capable of playing throughout the duration of the tournament.
Out wide, Nicolás de la Cruz, Facundo Pellistri and Agustín Canobbio will provide the main support for Alonso.
Defenders
Fernando Muslera will most certainly be the regular goalie, and Diego Godín and José María Giménez in will be the regular centre-backs, forming an experienced couple.
The left-back spot could be taken by either Matías Viña or Mathías Oliviera.
On the right, Damián Suárez could be challenged by Guillermo Varela. Both options provide a good cover.
Key player
Valverde is the key player for many reasons.
Not only he contributes defensively, making passes, keen assists and scoring goals, but also has a good age and is in top form.
One of the strongest weapons of Real Madrid these days is the capacity of Valverde to be a central midfielder as well as a winger when necessary. Uruguay will have a versatile player in top form.
Tournament prediction
Uruguay should progress to the Round of 16 and they have a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
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They are the best team in their group together with Portugal, and if they are lucky to avoid Brazil in the eight-finals, then they surely have great chances of making it to the last eight.
The team has lots of experienced names that will need to be used carefully, but if the presence of the veterans is well-managed, they could go far in the World Cup.
For even more detailed analysis of all 32 teams in the FIFA World Cup 2022, download your copy of the November Total Football Analysis magazine here
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
