Dhe game against Ghana was still some way off when Luis Suárez was in his element. The Uruguay striker spoke before the decisive clash on Friday (4 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the World Cup, on ZDF and on MagentaTV) about everything that surrounds this encounter. Who would be better suited for that than Suárez? After his unforgettable handball in the round of 16 in 2010, he is still the protagonist. With every word, every explanation that came out of his mouth, it showed that he is a man from another generation.
His sentences are clear, the avoidance and maneuvering of younger colleagues is alien to him. He sent an unmistakable request to them: “The time for excuses is over. Soccer players are often very good at finding explanations for why this and that didn’t fit and why games were lost. Sometimes it’s the coach. Sometimes because you haven’t played yourself or whatever,” says Suárez. He could not have reacted much more clearly to the performance in the past games. The atmosphere in the Uruguay camp is not particularly good after the defeat against Portugal (0:2). The team has yet to win and has not scored a goal in Qatar.
The ball has never crossed the opponent’s goal line, despite the quality of players like Federico Valverde, Darwin Nunes, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez. Uruguay’s media have identified the culprit. Coach Diego Alonso has received a lot of criticism for his low-risk approach from the point of view of the press. The team would also like to play more offensively, they say. “In the end, only we players are responsible for what happens on the pitch,” says Suárez. So no excuses.
Uruguay can no longer afford that either. You have to win against Ghana, at the same time South Korea can’t win against Portugal by the same goal difference or possibly a goal less in the parallel game. Uruguay no longer have their fate in their own hands at this World Cup.
It is precisely for these moments that coach Alonso took striker Suárez to Qatar. He should go ahead, pull his own people along and intimidate the opponent. This is still an effective side effect, even if time has left its mark. How could she? “Physically it’s different, I’ve said that before. But I play more intelligently now, manage my strength better and avoid unnecessary paths. I benefit from my experience,” says Suárez.
He no longer scores as regularly as in his best days in Liverpool and Barcelona, and he hardly has enough strength for 90 minutes. In the first game against South Korea (0-0) he started but was taken off the field after just over an hour. The coach brought him on against Portugal. He is now 35 years old and has left the exhausting football of Europe behind. In July he signed on at his youth club Nacional in Montevideo – a return after 16 years. All just to get back in shape for the World Cup in Qatar.
There is no question that it will be his last. His career in the national team could therefore end against the opponent he inflicted with his handball on the goal line, a wound that has not yet completely healed. In Ghana there is talk of revenge, Suárez says: “There is no revenge in football. Every moment, every game is unique.”
Those who know him better say he draws most strength from situations like this. This is one of the reasons why he is expected to play against Ghana from the start. When everything seems to be conspiring against him and his team, Suárez is in top form. At least one more time. That’s what Uruguay fans want.
