Looking to Uruguay(2): They’ve named their squad + how to beat ‘em

A Uruguayan historian once said: “other countries have their history, Uruguay has its football.” Suppose we can say the same for Ghana. It would take some strong guts and wits to go past a Uruguayan side that has shown few or no fissures in South Africa – yet.

Taberez has started the mind games by naming his squad so early. Getty Images

Keeping clean sheets gets defenders beaming with smiles. And this comes no easier defending against Luis Suarez and Diego Forlán. The pair has scored three and two goals respectively at this World Cup, so far. In them, Uruguay has arguably the most potent strike force in South Africa.

Both players were top scorers for their clubs in the season just finished. A trait that must get our own Milovan Rajevac quaking. Forlán scored the two goals that won the Europa League final for Atletico Madrid, finishing the season with 28 goals. Diego Forlan’s at the peak of his footballing powers and has taken the prospect at South Africa 2010 to strengthen his position as one of the best in the game.

Under the spotlight, Suarez hasn’t faded. Despite being only 23, he is already captain Ajax and scored 49 times in 48 games in last season’s Dutch Erevidisie. He’s also transformed his club form into the international theater, scoring 11 goals in 33 caps for his country.

Now this is what you must do, sir Milo.

Defence
Richard Kingson, too, must be at his all-time best to stop these fun-goal-poachers. He must steer his defensive line and organize attacks.

John Mensah (will be okay despite missing training), Isaac Vorsah, John Panstil and Hans Adu-Sarpei (have a funny feeling Lee Addy might get a start even though I’m not a big fan) must work hard together to win possession. Get them to put out a foot ahead of Suarez and Forlán and always clamp them down even when not they’re not in possession of the ball.

We all know the guy in the 10, don’t we?

Simply don’t allow these two lethal strikers an opportunity to turn with the ball and face the goal. William Gallas and Eric Abidal proved this was the technique to get them not on the score sheets. Task Mensah and Vorsah to be as resolute as yet.

Sarpei must give every part of his game against the all-running Alvaro Fernandez. John Panstil hasn’t had an exciting tourney but sure must come big and soaring against Edinson Cavani who’s already being goosed by Tottenham after a fine season for Palermo in the Serie A.

Midfield
Midfielders are the thrust of a team. Anthony Annan has held play well, dictated the pace of our game and proved to be adept at both ends of the field. He must be at his in-depth best against Egidio Arévalo Ríos who plays for Peñarol in their local league. Annan must try to be first to the ball and stay there!

Kevin-Prince has been sweet for us, but it’s not likely he will play. We need his qualities to get past the evergreen Diego Perez, who’s had one excellent season for Monaco. The Uruguayan midfielder rarely ventures forward. His optimism to never give up a ball is the main reason for which he occupies the first position.

So, Milo, stick Kwadwo Asamoah and KPB’s replacement on him (Derek Boateng? Or Rahim Ayew).

Muntari, give ‘em the hard treatment – minus yellow cards! Getty Images

Sulley Muntari might entirely not be a favourite amongst the Ghanaian soccer legion but in Ayew’s absence, we’ve got to rely on him. His pace and acceleration will allow him to blow by defenders, while his trickery with the ball must win him plaudits against Maximiliano Pereira, who has lost some of his pace playing for Benfica.

Samuel Inkoom must be at his Basel best to make the most of Jorge Fucile.

Strikers
You get the glory when you put one in the back of the net. This, surely, must be running through Asamoah Gyan’s head as he braces for the showdown. Encourage the FC Rennes star to be as calm on the ball as possible and cut out those fancy excesses.

Diego Lugano (Fenerbahçe) has impressed thus far in the World Cup. He’s a fan favorite with his brave and warrior soul in defence and spectacular dead ball goals amongst Fenerbahçe fans. It would not be easy for Gyan to get one over him. But he’s proved to be equal to the task and showed it, especially against the USA.

Milo must allow him stay up with a lot of support from the midfielders.

Uruguay’s possible flaws
The Uruguayans have a magnificent attacking threat but they also appear to, at times, suffer from a lack of belief and confidence in the big moments. Let’s get those us our weapons, especially as Mauricio Victorino will play in place of Diego Godin. That’s kinda good for us, because Godin is the real deal in centre-back, seriously.

Stars looking to score | World Cup 2010

Stars looking to score | World Cup 2010

Football lovers everywhere went into the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ with burning hopes of seeing the game’s most illustrious stars parade their skills and light up the global stage with goals. The nets have certainly bulged across South Africa, with no fewer than 123 strikes buried so far, but the brightest talents have been conspicuously absent from the scoring charts.

Perhaps the most surprising player still grounded on zero efforts is Lionel Messi, the 2009 FIFA Player of the Year. Although there can be no doubt about the Barcelona forward’s massive contribution to Argentina’s quarter-final place, the outrageously gifted No10 is still waiting to open his account.

Given his Pichichi title as the Spanish Liga’s most prolific marksman last term, Messi’s failure to notch even one of La Albiceleste’s ten goals is almost bizarre, but the player himself is not unduly concerned. “It doesn’t worry me, even if I prefer to score when I play,” he said. “The most important thing is that we maintain the level we’re playing at and that we go on to win by playing as a team.”

Messi’s fellow South American star Kaka has fared no better on the goalscoring front, although the 2007 FIFA Player of the Year has set up three of Brazil’s eight goals so far, including Luis Fabiano’s effort against Chile in the Round of 16. Like his Argentinian rival, the Seleção playmaker prefers to focus on his team’s winning form than his own travails in front of goal. “My objective is to create goals and present the forwards with chances,” he said. “That’s how Robinho and Luis Fabiano have been able to score. I’m happy to have set up those goals and I hope to end the tournament as the player with the most assists and have Luis Fabiano finish as top scorer.”

While Messi and Kaka can certainly content themselves with their overall displays, the situation appears somewhat more worrying for Spain striker Fernando Torres, who has disputed 212 minutes at South Africa 2010 without adding to his international tally.

El Niño is still recovering from a knee operation in April that originally put his participation in doubt, but in-form fellow forward David Villa remains confident that the Liverpool man will soon rediscover his goalscoring touch. “I don’t think Torres’s performances have been poor, even if he hasn’t scored,” explained Villa. “He’s worked enormously hard to be here with us and we need to thank him for that, especially after his operation. Yes, strikers get judged on how many goals they score, but Fernando hasn’t had a lot of chances so far. He’s working, he’s progressing and you’ll see: the goals will come, like the one in the EURO 2008 final that won us the title.”

Torres will now be hoping to turn things around against Paraguay in the quarter-finals, when another pair of predators will also be determined to have their say. Manchester City’s Roque Santa Cruz and Benfica’s Oscar Cardozo – top scorer in Portugal last term – have both experienced a similar goal drought, no doubt partly due to coach Gerardo Martino’s conservative tactics.

While those players can all still make the difference, England’s Wayne Rooney can do nothing about his haul of zero strikes in four games. Three Lions fans expected much from the Manchester United icon following his 26 efforts in the Premier League last season, but he was unable to carry that bountiful form into the FIFA World Cup and England have now travelled home in the wake of their last-16 loss to Germany.

Likewise, Jozy Altidore was given 357 minutes of action for the United States without weighing in with a single goal, a frustration shared by France’s Franck Ribery, South Africa’s Steven Pienaar and Harry Kewell of Australia. Solovakia’s Marek Hamsik left empty-handed as well, unable to match his team-mate Robert Vittek, who currently shares pole position in the race for the adidas Golden Boot on four goals with David Villa and Gonzalo Higuain.

Stekelenburg earns his World Cup spurs | World Cup 2010

Stekelenburg earns his World Cup spurs | World Cup 2010

Maarten Stekelenburg has not one but two crosses to bear at the FIFA World Cup™.

He is a member of the latest Netherlands side trying to lift the trophy for the first time and he is also trying to shake off the label of being the goalkeeper who followed in the footsteps of the great Edwin van der Sar.

The 27-year-old Ajax shot-stopper has measured up pretty well so far in South Africa, conceding just two goals, both from penalties, and he has earned high praise from Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk.

Van Marwijk was especially impressed by Stekelenburg's performance in the Round of 16 game against Slovakia which the Dutch won 2-1

"Maarten was exceptional, he saved us and allowed us to stay in control at a delicate moment of the match," said Van Marwijk, who will be looking for a similarly assured performance against five-time world champions Brazil in Friday's quarter-final in Port Elizabeth.

Stekelenburg, who replaced Van der Sar after Euro 2008 when the Manchester United number one retired from international football for the second time, had already shown he was made of the right stuff in conceding just two goals in the eight qualifying matches he played in.

However, his place as national number one looked to be in danger 18 months ago when he was dropped at Ajax by former coach Marco van Basten and replaced by the younger Kenneth Vermeer.

"Van Basten told me off for having become complacent," explained Stekelenburg, who stands at an impressive 1.94m. "That stunned me because I couldn't get enough of training, and I was certainly not lazy."

However, he bears no malice towards the former AC Milan and Dutch striking great, who went on to coach the Netherlands at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and EURO 2008.

"That said, I have no bitterness towards what was said at the time. Van Basten was right on one thing: I was not playing well.

However, he has regained the confidence of not only Ajax curent coach Martin Jol but also Van Marwijk.

"Mister Van Marwijk has always retained confidence in me even when I wasn't first choice at Ajax," Stekelenburg added. "His support did me a world of good. And also he has never evoked in front of me or the press how I was the successor to Van der Sar".

However, he is honest enough to admit that there are still sceptics to be won over. Before the Slovakia game he said: "If I commit a blunder, they will say to me 'That ball there, Van der Sar would have saved'."