In front of 50,000 enthusiastic Argentineans in Argentina’s most iconic soccer stadium, a historic night was orchestrated by an Argentine. For Uruguay.
South America’s second smallest country is sandwiched between the two biggest powers, but has defeated both of them in back-to-back matches.
The 2-0 victory at La Bombonera was Uruguay’s first victory over Argentina in 10 years, and also Uruguay’s first. in Argentina is their first opponent since 1937, but last month’s victory over Brazil meant they were eliminated from qualifying for the first time since 2015. With last night’s victory, they narrowed the gap to World Cup qualifying leaders Argentina to two points.
And even in his fifth game in charge, Uruguay were unmistakably Marcelo Bielsa’s team.
Throughout his eclectic coaching career, relentless running and an aggressive off-the-ball approach have been the cornerstone of Bielsa’s success. His players must embrace an underdog mentality and enjoy the war of attrition while relishing the opportunity to play some intense football during the break.
Last night, the Uruguayan back four of Ronald Araujo, Sebastian Cáceres, Matias Olivera and Matias Viña all showed a willingness to come forward and force Argentina’s technical players into the midfield, causing Argentina to move up the pitch and embarrass Argentina. Bielsa’s intentions became clear early on. .
For example, in the photo below, Olivera rushes from the defense as Cristian Romero passes to Lionel Messi. He then passed to Alexis Mac Allister, who was forced into a heavy touch before losing the ball to a tough attack.
Also note the chaotic structure of Uruguay’s defense. Winger Maximilian Araujo protects the left-back area, but full-back Viña is actually the player who plays infield and makes the final tackles.
Midfield duo Fede Valverde and Manuel Ugarte also dropped to the defensive line. The former lined up alongside the centre-backs to cover the run of Enzo Fernandes, while Ugarte went wide to keep an eye on Julian Álvarez, who had dropped back into his own half.
They are a team of hard runners who support each other.
Fluid systems are not without flaws and can be pulled apart by patient buildup or intelligent movement. For example, watch below as Viña penetrates deep into the opposition half to follow Rodrygo de Paul.
This time, Romero bravely waited for Mac Allister’s front despite being under pressure from Darwin Nuñez. The pass went well and Argentina ran away with the Uruguayan centre-back high up the pitch.
However, once again midfielder Ugarte came on as a substitute to provide cover for the attacking defenders, and the team quickly recovered and attacked widely.
This is a bold approach and puts the onus on the opponent to play quickly and sharply if they don’t want to lose the ball.
After the match, Messi said: “I never felt comfortable.” “We didn’t have possession for long, we didn’t create chances and we were able to play the game we wanted with their rhythm.”
Words that describe Bielsa’s great success: his saboteurs have done their job.
From now on, Uruguay’s attacking methods were as unsettling as their solid defence. Direct and uncompromising, Argentina were unable to cope with the vertical movement of their opponent’s front line.
In the first chance of the game, Araujo crossed to intercept a wayward pass and let the ball in behind him, and the ball raced down the pitch with six seconds to play.
Notice again that Ugarte is between the two centre-backs, forming a back six. If the forward pass from Argentina is not made with pinpoint accuracy, it will be swept away.
As the offensive game plan began, the Argentine commentator said, “What seemed like meaningless balls suddenly started to make all the sense in the world.” Nunez’s ferocious speed on the counter-attack was a lingering problem for the Argentine defense, with no one able to catch the Liverpool striker as he advanced and fired low shots.
On the left, Uruguay also took advantage of the adventurous play of Nahuel Molina’s full-back, sprinting as far in behind as possible to target his own zone.
Maximilian Araujo had a wealth of shots and, following a crucial interception by Ugarte, it was his header run that created a clear opening for Nicolas de la Cruz.
Of Uruguay’s seven shots, two came within 10 seconds of a long direct pass from their own half, and the remaining five came within 10 seconds of their defense.
Both goals came from great defensive efforts, with Vina chasing Molina to the corner flag, then picking the pocket and pushing the ball into the square for Araujo to score.
The match was decided in the 86th minute after Rodrigo Bentancur crossed to dislodge Messi and delivered a powerful punch on the counterattack. The ball found the back of the net just nine seconds after the Tottenham midfielder’s challenge.
It was a game won by the defensive spirit and strong running ability of the front line.
Bielsa’s meandering career has taken him to seven countries and 13 different teams, but rarely has he needed so little change to make his ideas a winner.
From Valverde to Viña, Ugarte to Nuñez, the country was already full of incessant footballers, footballers hungry for every aspect of the game.
Soccer is full of volume and energy. That’s what Bielsa is doing. With his new team’s verticality and defensive tenacity, he couldn’t be in a better position.
