Italy vs. Uruguay (2-2)
Uruguay are going to come out of their coma in time for the 2014 World Cup, they need to start by upending Italy in the Confederations Cup third-place match.
Oscar Tabarez's side has looked a little better in the tournament so far, but Uruguay's performances in the group stage will have done little to allay the fears of supporters. This is still a stilted team that hasn't moved on from an aging Diego Forlan.
The semifinal was a much better showing, and La Celeste were unlucky to lose on a late goal, even if their marking was poor on the corner that Paulinho fired in for the win.
It was encouraging for the supporters who have seen Uruguay sleepwalk through their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. When you've watched Uruguay's matches over the last couple of weeks, though, you're still not seeing a team close to the one that won the 2011 Copa America and finished fourth at the 2010 World Cup.
There should be little doubt Uruguay will qualify for 2014. They're sitting in fifth inCONMEBOL, level with Venezuela but with a better goal differential and a game in hand. La Celeste will find a way to get it done against the fifth-placed Asian qualifier if it comes to that.
The question is whether or not the team should be satisfied with simply making it to the World Cup and making an early exit. There's enough talent in the squad to at least get to the quarterfinals.
Only a year out from the tournament and Uruguay are running out of real estate on the road to the World Cup. The last thing an underperforming Uruguay need is to finish another international tournament with a resounding defeat.
Categories:
0 komentar:
Post a Comment