Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay began 2024 as the in-form international team with victories over Argentina and Brazil.
The year did not hit the heights they hoped, beaten in the Copa America semi-finals by Colombia, and more recently, defeated by Peru in World Cup qualifying.
Both losses had something in common, Manuel Ugarte played both matches at centre-back.
The Manchester United midfielder had to fill-in at the position in their recent qualifier, a 1-0 loss against Conmebol strugglers Peru.
Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesManuel Ugarte praised despite loss
Manuel Ugarte was praised by Marcelo Bielsa despite Uruguay’s loss, while his nation’s media also had positive words for his performance, with one outlet rating his display 8/10.
This loss and the Copa semi-final were perhaps coincidence both featured Ugarte out of position – while also worth noting the knock-on impact of taking him out of midfield.
It was not Ugarte’s fault that Darwin Nunez could not manage to score against a Peru side with the second-worst goal difference in Conmebol qualifying.
The Manchester United midfielder had kept quiet since the defeat, with Uruguay working in silence to prepare for their next fixture, up against Ecuador in midweek.
He has now spoken out to reflect on his own game and the team’s performance.
Manuel Ugarte verdict
Manuel Ugarte spoke to ESPN to discuss the defeat to a Peru team who had been winless in eight qualifying games before this match.
Ugarte admitted: “We did not play well, it was a shame because I still believe that we are much better, but the match was ugly for us.
“Little by little we faded and we did not show good things in the match.”
Ugarte was also asked about his own display out of position, and admitted it was not the ideal scenario for himself or the team.
He explained: “Honestly, I felt good with the ball, but I lack certain things as a defender.”
Ugarte has not had an easy time at Manchester United since joining, being written off by various pundits already.
Erik ten Hag warned Ugarte was not quite ready due to a lack of fitness, and it has been a slow start for him.
Getting some extra game time for Uruguay is useful, even if it is out of position, before he returns to United for a busy stretch of fixtures.
Related Topics
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=670cb656b591498ca77557c7efd36fca&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unitedinfocus.com%2Fnews%2Fmanuel-ugarte-makes-two-admissions-as-he-breaks-silence-after-shock-uruguay-defeat%2F&c=4882960915643073363&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-10-13 19:02:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.