Marcelo Bielsa was confirmed as the new Uruguay manager this week, and will take them into the 2026 World Cup, all things being well. El Profe seemed pleased to be in charge, and as always, was intriguing with his answers during his first press conference.
The Argentine legend said that “they did not have to convince me to come here, I would almost say the other way around.” Bielsa’s football teams tend to produce fantasy football, and he told the Celeste fans that they could begin working their imaginations – “Uruguay can fantasise about winning a World Cup.”
Uruguay are set to undergo a changing of the guard in the near future, with the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani aging into their mid-thirties. Bielsa said that “it was neither yes nor no” regarding whether he could consider Suarez, saying it would depend on whether he was better than the many strikers available to him.
It appears Bielsa will call up the players he is less aware of for their June friendlies against Nicaragua and Cuba, but will then consider the star names for South American World Cup qualifiers in September against Chile and Ecuador.
Referring specifically to Barcelona star Ronald Araujo, he explained that he would be used in the middle of his defence.
“He has played wide because Xavi has imagined him as the most effective antidote to mark the most important winger in the world, and he was not wrong, because Vinicius has said that he was the rival who marked him the best. He has neutralised him and the answer is already there.”
“The place where they naturally use him and where he feels most comfortable is as a centre-back. He is a player you use in order to solve the most difficult problems.”