SEATTLE - A group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar prompted a huge change in the Uruguayan national team. As the golden generation that gave Uruguay the 2011 Copa América title and a fourth-place finish at the 2010 World Cup grew older, it was time for 'La Celeste' to undergo a rebuilding phase.
It wasn't until Marcelo Bielsa was appointed as coach of the national team that Uruguay's project started to trend upwards. In search of a more dynamic and offensive game, Bielsa gave Uruguay a much different look to those teams with more of a defensive focus led by Óscar Tabárez.
Since Bielsa was appointed in June 2023, Uruguay has only lost two of its 10 games and currently sits in second place in the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers, three points behind Argentina. In those 10 games, 'La Celeste' has kept a clean sheet in five games and has outscored its opponents 24-8.
One of the players that has benefited the most off Bielsa's attacking style is Liverpool's striker Darwin Núñez, who is expected to shine for 'La Celeste' at Copa América 2024.
Without Edinson Cavani and with Luis Suárez playing more of a secondary role, Núñez will lead Uruguay's front line as the main striker this summer.
Núñez has scored in each of his last five games with 'La Celeste' and he is coming off a good season with Liverpool where he participated in 30 goals in all competitions (18 goals, 12 assists).
Despite his fame of being an erratic finisher, Núñez remains as one of the most dangerous players in the world when it comes to creating goalscoring opportunities. His game is reigned by chaos and defenders need to be aware of his positioning at all times during a game.
His last season with Liverpool yielded 30 goal contributions and out of his 18 goals in all competitions, he scored six game-winning goals including a 90+9' winner against Nottingham Forest to keep Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title.
He started off the season with a huge brace against Newcastle, coming off the bench in the 77th minute and scoring two goals in a 13-minute span to give Liverpool a comeback win.
Despite being limited to just over 2,000 minutes in the Premier League, Núñez almost finished with double digit in both goals and assists. Either as a creator or a finisher, the Uruguayan had a huge impact on Liverpool's offensive success. No other player averaged more shots per game than Núñez this past PL season (4.5) and only Mohamed Salah (10) assisted on more goals than the Uruguayan (8) among Liverpool players.
If he is able to improve his finishing in front of goal, Núñez will be set for a successful Copa América. Only Erling Haaland (34) missed more big chances than Darwin last PL season (27) and his nine shots against the woodwork were the most by any player in the English top division in 2023-24.
Under Bielsa, Núñez hasn't been a traditional 'number 9' per se, as he likes to start off from the wing and then make his way to the penalty area. He has started in each of Uruguay's six World Cup Qualifiers under Bielsa and leads all CONMEBOL players with five goals in WCQ.
Eight of his 11 goals for Uruguay have come under Bielsa, including a hat trick against Mexico in his last match for 'La Celeste.'
After missing Copa América 2021 with a knee injury, this year's competition will be his second appearance for Uruguay in a major tournament. Just like the rest of the Uruguayan team, he had a fairly quiet 2022 World Cup starting all three games but wasn't able to find the back of the net.
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