Diego Forlan’s Goal Against Nigeria Shows He Is Still a Key Player for Uruguay

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 21, 2013

commentComment        

With one swing of his left boot, Diego Forlan demonstrated exactly what he can still provide for Uruguay.

The 34-year-old striker was the engine behind Uruguay finishing fourth at the 2010 World Cup and then winning the 2011 Copa America.

After that win, it looked like La Celeste would become a serious threat for the 2014 World Cup. Instead, they're struggling to qualify from their group in CONMEBOL.

Much of that decline is due to the aging of Forlan. He simply can't be the kind of talisman he was three or four years ago. You wouldn't expect any player his age to remain at that level.

Look at the way his league goals have declined since the 2008-09 season.



The other part of it is that Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez haven't clicked in the way Oscar Tabarez would have hoped. You'd think putting two world-class strikers together would be a surefire way to create a strong attack. That hasn't happened, though, and it's largely down to Cavani.



His performance against Nigeria was symbolic of his career in a Uruguay shirt. Cavani hasn't been a terrible player. He just hasn't been able to play as well for Uruguay as he does for Napoli.

Luckily, Forlan is still capable of putting in a strong performance. He can remain a key player for La Celeste, albeit in a bit of a different role.

You look at a guy like Andrea Pirlo, 34 years old and still a world-class midfielder. What makes Pirlo so good is that he doesn't have to run around as much. He's surrounded by capable players at Juventus and Italy, who can do all the running for him. Pirlo can sit back and pick his passes and take free kicks close enough to goal.

Forlan was primarily a striker at Atletico Madrid, but he did so well sitting in behind Suarez and Cavani. Tabarez might be able to drop him a little deeper in the pitch.

While Pirlo is a much better player than Forlan, the principle still...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!