Barcelona star Ronald Araujo has been impressed by Marcelo Bielsa’s instant impact as Uruguay head coach.
The veteran coach took charge of Uruguay in March, and has immediately overseen an upturn in positive form for La Celeste, with five wins from seven games in 2023.
After a summer defeat to Ecuador, Bielsa tweaked his team, and they have stepped up a gear in 2026 World Cup qualifying, with successive wins over Brazil and defending world champions Argentina.
Araujo scored the breakthrough goal against Argentina in Buenos Aires last week, in a historic victory for Bielsa’s team, and they are currently second in the CONMEBOL qualifying table, two points behind Argentina.
Bielsa remains one of the most fascinating coaches in world football and Araujo admitted his demands are as high as ever, as he looks to steer Uruguay to qualification in the coming years.
“He’s doing a great job. We understand exactly what Marcelo wants and we’re taking it out on to the field”, as per reports from Mundo Deportivo.
“That’s important because with the national team you only have a few days to train, it’s 48 hours, and then you are playing a match.”
Uruguay wrap up 2023 with a home qualifier against Bolivia in Montevideo on November 21.