World Cup 2026: Where did Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay go wrong?

So where did all this error go?

Part of the answer may be out of the coach’s control. It’s surprising how many Uruguayan players fail to score at club level. Federico Valverde is now a star at Real Madrid, but he has had no impact on the competition.

Others seem to have stopped or backed out – Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Ugarte, Facundo Pellistri and Darwin Nunez among them.

Even so, Bielsa expects – and makes it clear he shares that expectation – to get more from the resources he uses.

Has his model become too predictable? His high-press and choke style was once revolutionary but is now firmly in the mainstream.

Bielsa himself showed doubts. Uruguay did not play any warm-up games before the World Cup, instead opting for intensive work that brought a new formation to the training ground – Valverde wide right and two strikers. He was dropped at half-time against Saudi Arabia, and showed improvement by reverting to his usual 4-3-3.

After the break and against Cape Verde, Uruguay at least created chances – and would have already been through to the last 32 if not for two stoppage-times.

However, strategies may not be the main cause. A more plausible explanation lies in personal relationships. In the year A month together at the 2024 Copa America appeared to crowd the dressing room.

Luis Suarez spoke at a news conference on his retirement from international football, criticizing Bielsa’s lack of warmth, his treatment of players and the tension in the camp.

In particular, no one in the group has moved to challenge the Uruguayan’s all-time leading goalscorer.