Adjudged ‘best of the best’ at the 2010 World Cup with the Golden Ball, Diego Forlan had long been the face of Uruguayan football. Once a fine forward, adept at both scoring and playmaking, he was given charge of the national team last August. It is the ‘interim’ before the ‘head coach’ designation that hints at the 47-year-old being on trial as he negotiates, in the latest FIFA international window, his first outings with the national team as coach.
On Tuesday, the South Americans, ranked 20th, meet 138th-ranked India at the Salt Lake Stadium here in another clash of unequals.
Diego Forlan. Pic/PTI
Forlan and his men landed in India after two tough matches, against Asian giants Japan and South Korea. A 1-3 defeat in Japan and a 4-1 victory in Seoul is a mixed bag for the two-time world champions but the common thread through the matches was the accent on attack, almost as if Forlan was setting the tenor of his tenure. “We created enough chances to have actually won the Japan game,” he said on Monday.
Meanwhile, reflecting on Saturday’s 0-4 loss to Brazil, India head coach Khalid Jamil said, “We cannot lose focus even once during the entire 90 minutes.” The Indian coach spoke of the lack of recovery time but added that “we are ready.”
“Uruguay too is a formidable side with a very experienced player as coach,” he said.
Forlan will be without Federico Valverde after the 28-year-old Real Madrid skipper picked up an injury prior to this tour. They still have enough firepower in the likes of Darwin Nunez, Ronald Araujo, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Torreira and Jose Maria Gimenez to give the Indians a harrowing time.
Forlan, who played for Mumbai City in 2016, was impressed with India’s showing against Brazil. “Against Brazil, we could see that there were some good [Indian] players. It’s not going to be an easy game; there’s never an easy game in football,” he said.
India and Uruguay have met before, in the 1982 Nehru Cup at the Eden Gardens here with the South Americans winning 3-1. The Indians would be thrilled if they can achieve a similar scoreline.
