It’s been years since I got so infuriated, frustrated and exasperated watching a football game.
The change in manager ushered in a new shape of play for the Uruguayans. Uruguay went with a 4-3-3 on paper instead of the usual 4-4-2 of past tournaments, modernising to the current game. Few teams have played 4-4-2 this World Cup.
South Korea dominated in the early stages. Uruguay took a full 15 minutes to grow into the game and gain some semblance of control and organisation.
Napoli left-back Olivera spurned a simple pass to Liverpool’s Nunez when Uruguay were on a rare break against a rapidly retreating South Korean defence.
Off the ball, Uruguay set up in a 4-5-1. This completely isolated Suarez, made the midfield flat and lacklustre, and allowed South Korea to get too comfortable on the ball.
The tactical disasterclass of the first half prompted a tactical change in the 2nd half, which did little to improve things for Uruguay.
Throughout the game, Uruguay’s press was pathetic. When putting pressure in South Korea’s half, Uruguay were always vastly outnumbered and hence did a lot of fruitless chasing. South Korea hardly felt any pressure.
In possession, Uruguay often had a huge hole in midfield. There was no one in the central areas between the defensive and attacking lines to act as a passing option and hence there was no presence in the middle. They also took their time, slowly passing around the back, as if a draw was sufficient. Off-the-ball movement was abysmal. It beats me how a manager can countenance that for a whole game. Players were stationary, resulting in a lack of fluidity and spaces to exploit. Uruguay never got into flow.
Unable to break lines through passing and lacking ideas, Uruguay resorted to the primitive way of playing loads of long balls, none of which amounted to anything threatening.
Uruguay could not coordinate any dangerous attacking movements or provide good deliveries for their frontmen, wasting the talent they have in the striker department. They didn’t create better chances than minnows South Korea. With top finishers up front and a lack of ability to manoeuvre the ball productively, Uruguay should have sought to play more crosses.
Player Ratings 😡
Starters
Rochet 5/10
Had not much to do. The next-generation goalie, but he did not convince. He’ll be called into much more action against Portugal next. Hope he’s up to it.
Caceres 3/10
This guy is allergic to passing the ball forwards. Irks me every time the ball is at his feet, knowing he’ll inevitably do nothing but waste time with it. Did not go forward to help the attack too, though that’s probably due to the threat of Son Heung-Min on that flank. Picked up a booking.
Godin 6/10
Younger Godin used to break lines and the opponent’s structure by enterprisingly dribbling into midfield. Now he only plays long balls or passes the ball sideways and backwards. Well, he’s 36-years old. Hit the post from a corner. How many times has he saved Uruguay with a header scored from a set piece.
Gimenez 6/10
Okay defensively.
Olivera 5/10
Screwed up a simple pass to Nunez which could have changed the whole game. From that performance, I wouldn’t have guessed he plays for league leaders Napoli.
Valverde MOTM 8/10
Tidied up defensive situations. Even with his visible exhaustion, he worked hard and sprinted back to make a great tackle. Not playing in his best position. Almost scored a rocket which was denied by the post. Warrior.
Vecino 4/10
How does this guy play for Lazio.
Bentancur 5/10
Played as the the deepest midfielder. He’s no Rodri or Jorginho. Lack of quality and initiative in midfield. Average.
Pellestri 3/10
Why did he start and stay on the pitch for so long. Inexperienced and ineffective. The least reliable player on the ball.
Nunez 6/10
If only Olivera did not screw up that simple pass. Playing on the left, he was most effective in counter-attacking situations, which were rare.
Suarez 4/10
Played like someone near the end of his career and well past his prime, which he is. Not in the best shape.
Subs
Cavani 5/10
Brought on to replace the aged Suarez. About as ineffective as he was. Lack of service.
De La Cruz 4/10
What did this guy do.
Vina NIL
Varela NIL
You’re a South American team playing against South Korea. Uruguay should be doing much better. They played an atrocious game.
In the later game, recently released Ronaldo became the first ever player to score in 5 World Cups. Not bad for a free agent.
World Cup Fantasy Matchday 1 Summary
Simon earns a clean sheet in a dominant game by Spain where he did not face a single shot. Dumfries, Maehle and Rochet also have clean sheets.
Luke Shaw assisted Bellingham’s opener against Iran while his fellow full-back Trippier got no returns. Cancelo’s Portugal side failed to keep a clean sheet against a resilient Ghana team.
My entire midfield did not get a single return, with Trossard substituting Di Maria.
My captain Kane got 2 assists and I decided not to switch the armband to Messi. It turned out fine as Messi earned the same points as Kane. Neymar did not manage to get direct goal involvements versus Serbia (no points for drawing fouls!) while Mbappe did not disappoint, justifying my 12th man booster with a goal and assist.
As the closure of Matchday 1 marks the arrival of Matchday 2, I played my Wildcard. Due to the way transfers work in a Matchday, playing the Wildcard between the end of Matchday 1 and the start of Matchday 2 allows one to have unlimited transfers in setting up the team for both Matchday 2 and 3, so it’s an optimal time to play the Wildcard.
I spread out my goalkeepers and defenders across 6 different teams to spread the risk of the loss of clean sheet points. Rochet, Noppert, Sabaly and Sosa are some of the cheapest starting players in the game. Theo Hernandez comes into my team after Lucas Hernandez’s injury and an assist against Australia.
I decided I had to have Saka, Giroud and Richarlison after their braces in Matchday 1. With Spain being so strong, I selected Olmo, who is preferred over Asensio as he played the full game.
Neymar is dropped from my team due to injury concerns.
With excess funds from choosing Giroud over Mbappe, I upgraded De Paul to De Bruyne. As midfielders now score 7 points instead of the earlier 5 points, I shifted my budget more towards the midfield.
BLOGOPUS 