Uruguay lift Copa

drew both their first two games. Then they mounted a heroic rearguard action in the quarter final against hosts Argentina, where they had a man sent off in the first half.
But in the end it was conclusive. And so was the message from Buenos Aires after the 3-0 win over Paraguay in the final on Sunday night – last year’s run to the World Cup semi finals was no fluke. Uruguay are back.
Much of the credit must clearly go to coach Oscar Washington Tabarez, the thoughtful veteran who has masterminded the resurgence of Uruguayan football. But as we watched his team run down the clock in the second half against Paraguay, we were reflecting on how his entire project could have been derailed right at the start.
Before starting his second spell in charge of Uruguay in 2006, Tabarez spent time ruminating on the consequences of globalisation on his country’s football – on how, with a population little more than three million, it was impossible for the domestic game to keep hold of its talents, and how it was difficult to maintain a footballing identity in a globalised context.
One of his conclusions was that Uruguay’s national teams, at all levels, should play the 4-3-3 formation.
This hardline philosophy lasted exactly one competitive game. In their debut in the 2007 Copa in Venezuela, Uruguay were taken apart on the road to a 3-0 defeat by Peru.
“Reality was too strong for us,” commented the coach afterwards. Time for a rethink.
Tabarez understood that Uruguay had to acknowledge their limitations.
They had to change their gameplan in accordance with the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent.
Uruguay regrouped in that 2007 Copa, when only a penalty shoot-out defeat stopped them from making the final.
It gave a boost to the prestige of the Tabarez project, which became increasingly important as his team struggled through World Cup qualification, needing a play-off with Costa Rica to secure their place in South Africa.
And instead of an inflexible 4-3-3, Tabarez has kept tinkering away, making little adjustments here and there.
The idea of the front three has always been there, though, as the coach sought to take advantage of the firepower of Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
In-form and a rising force, Cavani was injured during the course of this tournament – which bizarrely turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Cavani’s work rate and spirit of sacrifice make the front three feasible. There is no like-for-like replacement. Take him out and Uruguay were obliged to do something more cautious – which has fitted perfectly with the tone of this Copa America, where in general defences have been on top.
Before the semi-final with Peru Tabarez commented that in this particular Copa those sides which had looked to take the initiative in the game had not succeeded. And then, even though his side were strong favourites, he backed up his words by selecting a midfield of runners and markers, with no creative force.
He stuck with this strategy until Cavani re-emerged for the last half hour of the final with Uruguay two goals up. And these two games – the semi against Peru and the final with Paraguay – were matches where the favourite did not lose, indeed where Uruguay did not concede.
But they would not have won either without Forlan and Suarez. Of course, Tabarez could only get away with such a limited midfield because he can count on such a magnificent strike partnership, made up of two individual talents who put their skill at the service of the collective.
Suarez was the undoubted player of the tournament, and highlighted it with an exceptional early goal that paved the way to victory.
To score the goal he ingeniously made space, moving inside Dario Veron to fire left footed low into the far corner – a cameo of the threat he offers, two footed, quick thinking, quick to execute and unpredictable.
In short, a defender’s nightmare.
But I was especially delighted to see Forlan grab the other two. He has not had an easy time of late, both on and off the pitch. The goals had dried up – he contributed some astonishing misses to this campaign. But the vision and intelligence of his play is truly astounding. He picks options as if he is watching the game from the stands, and I always find him a joy to watch.
A little incident towards the end of the game sums up his commitment to the cause, and the spirit in the Uruguay team. Just inside the last 15 minutes and leading 2-0, Uruguay had a corner, which Paraguay were able to clear. They began to launch a counter-attack, with quick little right back Ivan Piris scuttling forward.
Forlan, who had taken the corner, chased back to put the ball into touch. That moment sums up the current Uruguay side. – BBC Sport.