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Uruguay’s New Look Under Marcelo Bielsa

Uruguay’s New Look Under Marcelo Bielsa

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Revenge is a dish best served cold, and for Marcelo ‘El Loco’ Bielsa, it has been two decades in the making.

By Zach Lowy

Back in 1999, his Argentina side squandered an early lead and lost 2-1 to Brazil in the Copa América quarter-finals. Five years later, the Albiceleste took the lead on two separate occasions and looked headed for their first Copa América title since 1993 after César Delgado’s goal in the 87th minute, only for Adriano to level proceedings at the last second and force a shootout, where Brazil would win 4-2 in Lima. In 2010, Bielsa’s Chile side returned to the World Cup after a 12-year drought, only to come apart in the Round of 16 and lose 3-0 to Brazil. And yet, on Saturday, his Uruguay side held Brazil to a 0-0 draw despite playing down a man for the final 20 minutes, and they held their nerve in the penalty shootout with a 4-2 victory in Las Vegas, ending a run of three straight knockout defeats in the Copa.

After achieving their first knockout round victory in the Copa América since 2011, when they beat Paraguay 3-0 in the final, Uruguay are just two matches away from surpassing Argentina as the team with the most Copa América trophies (16). They have their eyes set on a potential match-up against Canada or Argentina in the final, but before they can start dreaming of their trip to Miami, they’re going to have to take care of business against Colombia on Wednesday in the semi-final.

The Arrival of El Loco

2021 marked a period of transition for Uruguay, who departed the Copa America quarter-finals on penalties to Colombia before closing out the year with four straight defeats in World Cup qualifying. With their Qatar hopes on the line, Uruguay parted ways with Óscar Tabárez after 15 years in charge and hired Diego Alonso, who revived their form with four wins from four and steered them to a fourth straight World Cup. However, he failed to deliver on the biggest of occasions, with Uruguay scoring zero goals in their first two matches vs. Portugal and South Korea and exiting the World Cup group stage for the first time in two decades. Back to the drawing board after a year with Alonso, Los Charrúas appointed Marcelo Bielsa, who became the second foreigner to manage Uruguay after Daniel Passarella (1999-2001).

Pep Guardiola called him the best coach in the world. Mauricio Pochettino called him his football father. But whilst Bielsa has left an indelible mark on the footballing landscape and cemented his status as one of the most influential tacticians in the game, his trophy cabinet is not quite up to par with his counterparts. Across his three decades in management, Bielsa’s sole trophies outside of his homeland have come in 2020, when he led Leeds to the EFL Championship title and ended a 16-year absence from the Premier League, and in 2004, when he guided Argentina to the gold medal in the Summer Olympics. Over the following two decades, he would spearhead Chile to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and take Athletic Club to the UEFA Europa League Final and Copa del Rey Final in 2012, losing both to Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, and he has the opportunity to pull off the crowning achievement of his career and guide Uruguay to glory in the United States.

Bielsa didn’t take long to make an impact with Uruguay, winning his first two friendlies vs. Nicaragua and Cuba before kicking off World Cup qualifying with a 3-1 victory against Chile. The next two matches would see Uruguay squander an early lead and lose 2-1 in Ecuador, before escaping with a 2-2 draw in Colombia thanks to Darwin Núñez’s penalty goal in added time. Darwin was at it again in their next match, stopping on a dime, crouching low, and firing a bullet header past Ederson, whilst Nicolás da la Cruz’s goal in the 77th minute would see Uruguay beat Brazil for the first time in nearly 23 years.

Defeating the World Champions

Uruguay would follow that up by winning 2-0 in Buenos Aires and pulling off their first victory against Argentina since 2013. Darwin Núñez was put to the test early on defending a free kick, and he showcased his quick reactions by expertly clearing the ball out of danger before Cristian Romero could have a nibble. He looked set to open proceedings after burning ex-Benfica teammate Nicolás Otamendi for pace and advancing into a prime shooting position, only to shank it wide.

La Celeste continued to put pressure on the world champions and got their just rewards as Matías Viña chased down Nahuel Molina like a hungry dog and robbed him of possession in the final third, before firing in a cross that was hit home by Ronald Araújo. It was the epitome of Bielsismo, a coordinated attempt to hassle their opponent for possession immediately after losing it, and it has made them a genuine contender for the Copa title.

Argentina came out raring to go after the interval and nearly equalized on several occasions via set-piece situations, with Lionel Messi’s free kick careening off the post. However, Uruguay would fend off their advances and seal the victory in the 87th minute as Darwin accelerated from one end of the centre circle to the other and charged past Otamendi, feigning to shoot to freeze Emiliano Martínez in goal, before coolly placing it into the corner of the net. Out of their last 18 matches since the World Cup Final, Argentina have won all but two in regulation time: the Uruguay match and a penalty shootout win vs. Ecuador in Thursday’s quarter-final.

Uruguay have avoided defeat in their last eight competitive fixtures, a run that began in October thanks to Darwin’s late heroics from the spot. They’ll need Darwin to be at his best as they take on Colombia, a team that has won 11 of their last 12 matches and that has not lost a single match since February 1, 2022.

Darwin Núñez: The Heir to Suárez’s Throne?

Luis Suárez, Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer with 68 goals, has played just 17 minutes thus far, whilst Edinson Cavani, their second all-time leading scorer with 58, has retired from international duty. At 25 years of age, Darwin Núñez has been given the reins to Uruguay’s attack and is tasked with filling the lofty footsteps of Cavani, Suárez and Diego Forlán and emerging as their next world-class centre-forward.

Darwin ended 2023 with a brace in their 3-0 win vs. Bolivia before doubling their lead in their opening match of the Copa, missing a bevy of chances only to steal the show with a magnificent volley in their 3-1 victory against Panama. Darwin grabbed their second goal in a 5-0 thrashing of Bolivia, whilst the following match would see Mathías Olivera score in the 66th minute and secure a 1-0 victory in Kansas City against the United States. Whilst the US became the first Copa host to exit the group stage in the modern format, Uruguay enjoyed a perfect group stage record for the first time ever.

Two years since arriving from Benfica for €75 million, Darwin hasn’t quite managed to convince the Liverpool fanbase and has left many jaws agape with his erratic decision-making: only Erling Haaland (34) missed more big chances than Darwin (27) in the Premier League last season. However, he has gotten his confidence back after a difficult end to the campaign, ending a two-month goalless drought with a hat-trick in their final pre-tournament friendly vs. Mexico, and he’ll be looking to find the back of the net for the fourth time in six matches as Uruguay take on Colombia in Charlotte.

The Copa Stats Behind Uruguay’s Rise

According to Marcelo Bielsa, “One of the reasons football is the most popular sport in the world is because the weak can beat the powerful.” In order to pull off these underdog victories, every player needs to be committed to doing their job on and off the ball and keep the opposition pinned back with their aggressive counter-pressing, constantly looking to pounce on a loose touch and immediately transition from defending the counter to carving out a goal-scoring opportunity.

It should come as no surprise that Uruguay are winning 5.8 possessions in the final third per match, second only to Mexico (6.0), or that they have won 15.8 tackles per match, level with Venezuela atop the standings. Bielsa’s style is predicated upon vertical passing and rapid, coordinated transitions, and it has seen his team average 27.8 accurate long balls per match and 6.5 accurate crosses per match, the most among all 16 teams in both metrics.

Uruguay may not have a world-class playmaker on the same level as Lionel Messi or James Rodríguez or Lucas Paquetá, but in their counter-pressing, they have a strategy that is consistently yielding dangerous goal-scoring opportunities, ranking second for big chances (15) and third for Expected Goals (6.9) and shots on target per match (5.5).  La Celeste are scoring 2.3 goals per match, second only to Colombia (2.8), whilst they also boast the most clean sheets (3) alongside Argentina.

Bielsa has been able to instill his identity and fine-tune Uruguay in just a year in charge, with Los Charrúas boasting the highest aggression percentage in the group stage, pressing, tackling or fouling 27% of their opponent’s ball receipts within two seconds, according to StatsBomb. Whilst Uruguay’s squad has a collective market value of €480.1 million, roughly one-third of Brazil’s €1.27 billion as per Transfermarkt, they have shown that they’re far more valuable than the sum of their parts.

Changing of the Guard

La Celeste paid the price for trying to shoehorn veterans like Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani, and Diego Godín into the team and served up a tedious World Cup campaign, but they have learned their lesson and deviated into a younger, more energetic line-up – outside of goalkeeper Sergio Rochet (31) and right back Nahitan Nández (28), each of Bielsa’s starters are 27 or younger.

Federico Valverde and Manuel Ugarte have formed a dynamic double pivot, blending Valverde’s relentless runs from box-to-box and deadly long-range shooting with Ugarte’s ability to put in a crunching tackle and stop the counter, whilst Nández and Matías Viña have offered two superb outlets out of pressure from the fullback positions, Viña grabbing a goal and assist in their 3-1 win vs. Panama.

Mathías Olivera, nominally a left back, has slotted into the middle alongside Ronald Araújo, who at 25, continues to demonstrate why he is one of the game’s top defenders, conceding just once in his last six matches – a last-second consolation goal for Panama. Whilst Olivera stole the show with his winning goal vs. the US, Araújo held it down against three different American strikers and made four interceptions, eight clearances, and seven passes into the final third, winning seven out of nine aerial duels and paving the way for another clean sheet for La Celeste.

Rochet has looked convincing in his first-ever Copa América and has imposed himself between the sticks, whilst Facundo Pellistri has proven a vivacious presence on the right flank. Having come off the bench in their opening fixture, Nicolás de la Cruz has relegated Giorgian de Arrascaeta to the bench and excelled in the #10 position, creating 13 chances, second only to James Rodríguez (14). However, if there is one player who has emerged as the breakout star of Uruguay’s Copa campaign, it’s Maximiliano Araújo.

One year after earning a maiden Uruguay call-up, Araújo is quickly making a name for himself on the international stage. He needed just 16 minutes to open his account vs. Panama, rotating his entire body and teeing up his shot with the precision of an archer before launching a rocket from the outside of the box into the top right corner. The Toluca winger continued his red-hot form vs. Bolivia, finding Darwin for the second goal before stretching Uruguay’s lead to three, and with a release clause of €20 million, it’s only a matter of time before he departs Mexico and joins a European club.

Can They Beat Colombia?

Uruguay will be without their two first-choice right-sided defenders in Nahitan Nández and Ronald Araújo as they take on a Colombia side that, in contrast to the other three semifinalists, took care of business in regulation by demolishing Panama 5-0, and they will have an unprecedented challenge ahead of them as they look to end Los Cafeteros’ two-year unbeaten streak.

Apart from his lack of silverware, Bielsa’s teams have often been scrutinized for their tendency to pick up steam early on, only to burn out due to the physical exertion and sputter to a chaotic finale. This lack of durability has given plenty of fodder to El Loco’s detractors – out of his 11 previous managerial roles, only three lasted over two years: Argentina, Chile, and Leeds United. Perhaps that’s why he’s abandoned club football and is trying his luck again in the international game, where he can implement his intense pressing style over the course of a month rather than a 40-game season. Perhaps that’s why, just two years after a lifeless showing in Qatar, Uruguay are clicking on all cylinders and find themselves in the mix for a record 16th Copa title.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Copa America live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Uruguay’s New Look Under Marcelo Bielsa

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and for Marcelo ‘El Loco’ Bielsa, it has been two decades in the making.

By Zach Lowy

Back in 1999, his Argentina side squandered an early lead and lost 2-1 to Brazil in the Copa América quarter-finals. Five years later, the Albiceleste took the lead on two separate occasions and looked headed for their first Copa América title since 1993 after César Delgado’s goal in the 87th minute, only for Adriano to level proceedings at the last second and force a shootout, where Brazil would win 4-2 in Lima. In 2010, Bielsa’s Chile side returned to the World Cup after a 12-year drought, only to come apart in the Round of 16 and lose 3-0 to Brazil. And yet, on Saturday, his Uruguay side held Brazil to a 0-0 draw despite playing down a man for the final 20 minutes, and they held their nerve in the penalty shootout with a 4-2 victory in Las Vegas, ending a run of three straight knockout defeats in the Copa.

After achieving their first knockout round victory in the Copa América since 2011, when they beat Paraguay 3-0 in the final, Uruguay are just two matches away from surpassing Argentina as the team with the most Copa América trophies (16). They have their eyes set on a potential match-up against Canada or Argentina in the final, but before they can start dreaming of their trip to Miami, they’re going to have to take care of business against Colombia on Wednesday in the semi-final.

The Arrival of El Loco

2021 marked a period of transition for Uruguay, who departed the Copa America quarter-finals on penalties to Colombia before closing out the year with four straight defeats in World Cup qualifying. With their Qatar hopes on the line, Uruguay parted ways with Óscar Tabárez after 15 years in charge and hired Diego Alonso, who revived their form with four wins from four and steered them to a fourth straight World Cup. However, he failed to deliver on the biggest of occasions, with Uruguay scoring zero goals in their first two matches vs. Portugal and South Korea and exiting the World Cup group stage for the first time in two decades. Back to the drawing board after a year with Alonso, Los Charrúas appointed Marcelo Bielsa, who became the second foreigner to manage Uruguay after Daniel Passarella (1999-2001).

Pep Guardiola called him the best coach in the world. Mauricio Pochettino called him his football father. But whilst Bielsa has left an indelible mark on the footballing landscape and cemented his status as one of the most influential tacticians in the game, his trophy cabinet is not quite up to par with his counterparts. Across his three decades in management, Bielsa’s sole trophies outside of his homeland have come in 2020, when he led Leeds to the EFL Championship title and ended a 16-year absence from the Premier League, and in 2004, when he guided Argentina to the gold medal in the Summer Olympics. Over the following two decades, he would spearhead Chile to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and take Athletic Club to the UEFA Europa League Final and Copa del Rey Final in 2012, losing both to Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, and he has the opportunity to pull off the crowning achievement of his career and guide Uruguay to glory in the United States.

Bielsa didn’t take long to make an impact with Uruguay, winning his first two friendlies vs. Nicaragua and Cuba before kicking off World Cup qualifying with a 3-1 victory against Chile. The next two matches would see Uruguay squander an early lead and lose 2-1 in Ecuador, before escaping with a 2-2 draw in Colombia thanks to Darwin Núñez’s penalty goal in added time. Darwin was at it again in their next match, stopping on a dime, crouching low, and firing a bullet header past Ederson, whilst Nicolás da la Cruz’s goal in the 77th minute would see Uruguay beat Brazil for the first time in nearly 23 years.

Defeating the World Champions

Uruguay would follow that up by winning 2-0 in Buenos Aires and pulling off their first victory against Argentina since 2013. Darwin Núñez was put to the test early on defending a free kick, and he showcased his quick reactions by expertly clearing the ball out of danger before Cristian Romero could have a nibble. He looked set to open proceedings after burning ex-Benfica teammate Nicolás Otamendi for pace and advancing into a prime shooting position, only to shank it wide.

La Celeste continued to put pressure on the world champions and got their just rewards as Matías Viña chased down Nahuel Molina like a hungry dog and robbed him of possession in the final third, before firing in a cross that was hit home by Ronald Araújo. It was the epitome of Bielsismo, a coordinated attempt to hassle their opponent for possession immediately after losing it, and it has made them a genuine contender for the Copa title.

Argentina came out raring to go after the interval and nearly equalized on several occasions via set-piece situations, with Lionel Messi’s free kick careening off the post. However, Uruguay would fend off their advances and seal the victory in the 87th minute as Darwin accelerated from one end of the centre circle to the other and charged past Otamendi, feigning to shoot to freeze Emiliano Martínez in goal, before coolly placing it into the corner of the net. Out of their last 18 matches since the World Cup Final, Argentina have won all but two in regulation time: the Uruguay match and a penalty shootout win vs. Ecuador in Thursday’s quarter-final.

Uruguay have avoided defeat in their last eight competitive fixtures, a run that began in October thanks to Darwin’s late heroics from the spot. They’ll need Darwin to be at his best as they take on Colombia, a team that has won 11 of their last 12 matches and that has not lost a single match since February 1, 2022.

Darwin Núñez: The Heir to Suárez’s Throne?

Luis Suárez, Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer with 68 goals, has played just 17 minutes thus far, whilst Edinson Cavani, their second all-time leading scorer with 58, has retired from international duty. At 25 years of age, Darwin Núñez has been given the reins to Uruguay’s attack and is tasked with filling the lofty footsteps of Cavani, Suárez and Diego Forlán and emerging as their next world-class centre-forward.

Darwin ended 2023 with a brace in their 3-0 win vs. Bolivia before doubling their lead in their opening match of the Copa, missing a bevy of chances only to steal the show with a magnificent volley in their 3-1 victory against Panama. Darwin grabbed their second goal in a 5-0 thrashing of Bolivia, whilst the following match would see Mathías Olivera score in the 66th minute and secure a 1-0 victory in Kansas City against the United States. Whilst the US became the first Copa host to exit the group stage in the modern format, Uruguay enjoyed a perfect group stage record for the first time ever.

Two years since arriving from Benfica for €75 million, Darwin hasn’t quite managed to convince the Liverpool fanbase and has left many jaws agape with his erratic decision-making: only Erling Haaland (34) missed more big chances than Darwin (27) in the Premier League last season. However, he has gotten his confidence back after a difficult end to the campaign, ending a two-month goalless drought with a hat-trick in their final pre-tournament friendly vs. Mexico, and he’ll be looking to find the back of the net for the fourth time in six matches as Uruguay take on Colombia in Charlotte.

The Copa Stats Behind Uruguay’s Rise

According to Marcelo Bielsa, “One of the reasons football is the most popular sport in the world is because the weak can beat the powerful.” In order to pull off these underdog victories, every player needs to be committed to doing their job on and off the ball and keep the opposition pinned back with their aggressive counter-pressing, constantly looking to pounce on a loose touch and immediately transition from defending the counter to carving out a goal-scoring opportunity.

It should come as no surprise that Uruguay are winning 5.8 possessions in the final third per match, second only to Mexico (6.0), or that they have won 15.8 tackles per match, level with Venezuela atop the standings. Bielsa’s style is predicated upon vertical passing and rapid, coordinated transitions, and it has seen his team average 27.8 accurate long balls per match and 6.5 accurate crosses per match, the most among all 16 teams in both metrics.

Uruguay may not have a world-class playmaker on the same level as Lionel Messi or James Rodríguez or Lucas Paquetá, but in their counter-pressing, they have a strategy that is consistently yielding dangerous goal-scoring opportunities, ranking second for big chances (15) and third for Expected Goals (6.9) and shots on target per match (5.5).  La Celeste are scoring 2.3 goals per match, second only to Colombia (2.8), whilst they also boast the most clean sheets (3) alongside Argentina.

Bielsa has been able to instill his identity and fine-tune Uruguay in just a year in charge, with Los Charrúas boasting the highest aggression percentage in the group stage, pressing, tackling or fouling 27% of their opponent’s ball receipts within two seconds, according to StatsBomb. Whilst Uruguay’s squad has a collective market value of €480.1 million, roughly one-third of Brazil’s €1.27 billion as per Transfermarkt, they have shown that they’re far more valuable than the sum of their parts.

Changing of the Guard

La Celeste paid the price for trying to shoehorn veterans like Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani, and Diego Godín into the team and served up a tedious World Cup campaign, but they have learned their lesson and deviated into a younger, more energetic line-up – outside of goalkeeper Sergio Rochet (31) and right back Nahitan Nández (28), each of Bielsa’s starters are 27 or younger.

Federico Valverde and Manuel Ugarte have formed a dynamic double pivot, blending Valverde’s relentless runs from box-to-box and deadly long-range shooting with Ugarte’s ability to put in a crunching tackle and stop the counter, whilst Nández and Matías Viña have offered two superb outlets out of pressure from the fullback positions, Viña grabbing a goal and assist in their 3-1 win vs. Panama.

Mathías Olivera, nominally a left back, has slotted into the middle alongside Ronald Araújo, who at 25, continues to demonstrate why he is one of the game’s top defenders, conceding just once in his last six matches – a last-second consolation goal for Panama. Whilst Olivera stole the show with his winning goal vs. the US, Araújo held it down against three different American strikers and made four interceptions, eight clearances, and seven passes into the final third, winning seven out of nine aerial duels and paving the way for another clean sheet for La Celeste.

Rochet has looked convincing in his first-ever Copa América and has imposed himself between the sticks, whilst Facundo Pellistri has proven a vivacious presence on the right flank. Having come off the bench in their opening fixture, Nicolás de la Cruz has relegated Giorgian de Arrascaeta to the bench and excelled in the #10 position, creating 13 chances, second only to James Rodríguez (14). However, if there is one player who has emerged as the breakout star of Uruguay’s Copa campaign, it’s Maximiliano Araújo.

One year after earning a maiden Uruguay call-up, Araújo is quickly making a name for himself on the international stage. He needed just 16 minutes to open his account vs. Panama, rotating his entire body and teeing up his shot with the precision of an archer before launching a rocket from the outside of the box into the top right corner. The Toluca winger continued his red-hot form vs. Bolivia, finding Darwin for the second goal before stretching Uruguay’s lead to three, and with a release clause of €20 million, it’s only a matter of time before he departs Mexico and joins a European club.

Can They Beat Colombia?

Uruguay will be without their two first-choice right-sided defenders in Nahitan Nández and Ronald Araújo as they take on a Colombia side that, in contrast to the other three semifinalists, took care of business in regulation by demolishing Panama 5-0, and they will have an unprecedented challenge ahead of them as they look to end Los Cafeteros’ two-year unbeaten streak.

Apart from his lack of silverware, Bielsa’s teams have often been scrutinized for their tendency to pick up steam early on, only to burn out due to the physical exertion and sputter to a chaotic finale. This lack of durability has given plenty of fodder to El Loco’s detractors – out of his 11 previous managerial roles, only three lasted over two years: Argentina, Chile, and Leeds United. Perhaps that’s why he’s abandoned club football and is trying his luck again in the international game, where he can implement his intense pressing style over the course of a month rather than a 40-game season. Perhaps that’s why, just two years after a lifeless showing in Qatar, Uruguay are clicking on all cylinders and find themselves in the mix for a record 16th Copa title.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Copa America live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.