Suarez: Squad unity key to Uruguay success
Reuters - Thursday 21 July 2011, 00:17
BUENOS AIRES - Uruguay's long-time
cohesion and squad harmony has helped them overcome a poor start
to the Copa America and reach the final, striker Luis Suarez
said on Wednesday.
Suarez has scored three goals in five matches including both
in Uruguay's 2-0 semi-final win over Peru in La Plata on Tuesday
night.
Uruguay will play Paraguay in Mendoza in Sunday's
final at the Monumental in Buenos Aires.
"The group's mentality is the same as it was before and
during the World Cup," said Suarez, who helped Uruguay finish
fourth in last year's finals in South Africa.
"This is a very even Copa America, we didn't start well and
there's little time between matches [to correct things]," the
Liverpool striker told a news conference at the team's Buenos
Aires hotel.
With 12 teams divided into three groups, there are less days
between matches at the Copa America than the World Cup finals
and regional heavyweights, hosts Argentina and holders Brazil
who are in the early stages of team building, were eliminated in
the quarter-finals.
Uruguay finished second in their group after 1-1 draws with
Peru and Chile and a 1-0 win over Mexico and they eliminated old
rivals Argentina on penalties in their quarter-final.
CAVANI INJURY
Suarez and Diego Forlan have had to alter their roles as
Uruguay's strike force when Edinson Cavani, the third member of
their World Cup attacking trident, was injured in their second
match against Chile.
"With Edi's absence, the coach sent me to play more as a
number nine but I'm comfortable with that," Suarez said.
Forlan has failed to find the net in the tournament but
Suarez said that was not critical given his team mate's
importance to the team in many other aspects.
"It doesn't matter who scores the goals," Suarez said.
The striker's comments demonstrate the team's ethic which
can be attributed to coach Oscar Tabarez taking the reins for
the second time in 2006.
The small country's remarkable achievements in the first
half of the 20th century when they won two Olympic and two World
Cup titles between 1924 and 1950 had become a millstone they
carried during decades of little success despite producing
excellent players.
But they have progressed under Tabarez, who has overseen a
revolution in their organisation from the junior ranks up, and
victory in Sunday's final will give them a record 15th title,
moving ahead of rivals Argentina who they are currently tied
with.
A Sunday triumph will also be their third Copa America since
1987, when the tournament was revamped, and first since they
hosted the tournament in 1995.
"Uruguay are not satisfied with what they did in the past,
this is the result of a process since 2006," Suarez said.