Dubai: Uruguay’s hopes of success at Brazil 2014 have been badly hit by an injury to star striker Luis Suarez.
The English Premier League top scorer and Player of the Year has undergone knee surgery only three weeks before the tournament begins.
Uruguay will give their talisman every chance they can of being involved, but his lack of training in the build-up could prove costly.
The vast majority of football fans will be hoping he makes it as, whether he comes across as the hero or the pantomime villain, the Liverpool striker almost always produces solid-gold entertainment.
The skilful forward has had a phenomenal season, scoring 31 goals to help his team come as close to the EPL title as they have in the last 24 years.
He was also the top-scorer in South American qualifying for the World Cup.
But it’s his ability to divide opinion that makes him so watchable.
At the last Fifa showpiece in South Africa, Suarez scored three times and was instrumental in Uruguay finishing fourth — but it was his goalline handball in the quarter-finals against Ghana, plus his tendency to go to ground easily and plead with the referee for a decision, that left many neutrals cursing his name.
In Brazil, he is set to be joined by another striker at the top of his game in Paris St Germain’s Edinson Cavani, while the ageing Diego Forlan may have to return to the frontline following Suarez’s injury, despite moving to Japan earlier this year.
Behind their attacking talent, Uruguay boast an experienced if not particularly exciting side, with most being veterans of the 2010 campaign.
Coach Oscar Tabarez will have them lined up in a cautious 4-4-2 formation and their first priority — against fellow former champions Italy and England at least — will be to avoid defeat.
“We work very well in defence, I love that kind of thing. I’m not ashamed, as if to play defensively were a bad word,” Tabarez, who led Uruguay to the 2011 Copa America title and fourth place in last year’s Confederations Cup, said recently.
“When you find something that works for you, you stick to it.”
Uruguay
Group D
Fifa ranking: 5
Top man
|
Luis Suarez |
|
Coach
|
|
Oscar Tabarez |
Best 11 (4-4-2)
Muslera; Pereira, Lugano, Godin, Caceres; Stuani, Arivalo, Lodeiro, Rodriguez; Suarez, Cavani
Squad
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray/TUR), Martin Silva (Vasco Da Gama/BRA), Rodrigo Munoz (Libertad/PAR)
Defenders: Diego Lugano (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Martin Caceres (Juventus/ITA), Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica/POR), Jorge Fucile (Porto/POR), Sebastian Coates (Nacional/URU)
Midfielders: Egidio Arivalo Rmos (Morelia/MEX), Walter Gargano (Parma/ITA), Diego Perez (Bologna/ITA), Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio/ITA), Alvaro Pereira (San Pablo/BRA), Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico/ESP), Gaston Ramirez (Southampton/ENG), Nicolas Lodeiro (Botafogo/BRA)
Forwards: Luis Suarez (Liverpool/ENG), Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka/JPN), Cristian Stuani (Espanyol/ESP, Abel Hernandez (Palermo/ITA).
Group opponents
Qualifying campaign
Surprisingly failed to qualify automatically from the Conmebol round-robin, finishing fifth and having to win a two-legged intercontinental play-off against Jordan (they won 5-0 at home and drew 0-0 away) in order to reach Brazil 2014.
World Cup history
First tournament: 1930 at home
Appearances (before 2014): 11
Best finish: Winners (1930, 50)
Pros
- Exciting pool of striking talent, with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani likely to keep veteran Diego Forlan on the bench.
- Will be returning to the country where they won their last World Cup in 1950.
- Key members of the squad are at their prime and will be determined to at least match their semi-final spot of 2010.
Cons
- Tough group draw will see at least one of Uruguay, Italy and England eliminated.
- Suarez’s short fuse could be exploited by opposition defenders.
- Key defender Diego Lugano has had a disappointing season in England with West Brom, making only a handful of appearances.
