The Uruguayan national team’s interim head coach Diego Forlan believes that being a former player helps when dealing with players.
“I think it is the experience that counts. The experience you had as a player and whether you know how to use that as a coach. Which things are good for the players, which things are not,” Forlan said during an interaction with a select group of journalists.
“You could be an intelligent player, but when you are a manager it’s different. You have to use common sense. It’s really important to understand the position you are in now. With time, if you know what you have to do (working with the players), the result is going to be positive,” he added.
A glut of great players are calling the shots at different national teams right now… Zinedine Zidane (France), Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil), Xavi Hernandez (the Netherlands), to name a few. “(Didier) Deschamps has just left France (after the 2026 World Cup). He was a great player and had a successful stint with their national team,” Forlan added.
Forlan felt being a fantastic footballer himself during his playing days and being idolised by most of the present generation of players did not give him a head start.
“It’s one thing what you’ve done as a player. Now I try to guide them, give them the best things to play as a team. I give them the experience of what I’ve learned as a player. Just because I won the Golden Ball does not mean everything I say is going to be correct.
“I’m a human being. There will be times I will be right, and there will be some decisions which may not go our way. As I said earlier, use of common sense is the key. As a manager, I will have a way of playing, a way of trying to do things my own way.”
Uruguay play India in an international friendly at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday. Before coming to Calcutta, Uruguay played two friendlies in Asia. They lost 3-1 to Japan and beat South Korea 4-1.
Forlan, the Golden Ball winner in the 2010 World Cup, had come to India twice previously. First as a brand ambassador of a TV channel and then as a player for Mumbai City FC.
Opportunities ahead
Forlan took over from Argentine Marcelo Bielsa in August after Uruguay suffered another disappointing World Cup campaign. He is also the under-20 coach of the national team.
“I think it is a good opportunity for me. As the coach of the under-20 team, we have the South America Under-20 tournament in January. And then this six to eight-game experience with the national team. Let’s see what’s in store for me in the future… Whether I would have the chance to continue till the 2030 World Cup, where we are going to have the opportunity to play our first game in Uruguay,” the 2011 Copa America winner said.
The World Cup in 2030 will be the centenary year of the quadrennial event and Uruguay, who won the inaugural tournament, will play their first match at home. They again triumphed in 1950, but unfortunately that was the last time.
Forlan, who played for La Liga sides Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, said he has not set a target for himself with the national team.
“Just to enjoy the chance to be with the players till March. And then also the U-20 opportunity. We (the senior national team) have two more games in November. We don’t have any rivals lined up for that. And also, in March, we will have two more matches.”
In 2010 (South Africa), Uruguay finished fourth, with Forlan being one of the standout players. With a rich footballing history, Uruguay, who were the Olympic champions in Paris in 1924 and Amsterdam in 1928, have somehow always struggled on football’s biggest stage.
Continuity helps
Their most memorable time post-2000 was the spell under Oscar Tabarez, who was the national team coach from 2006 to 2021. Apart from finishing fourth in South Africa, Uruguay won the Copa America the following year in Argentina. After Tabarez left, Uruguay had three coaches, with Forlan being the fourth.
“In the beginning, everything was not that good for Tavarez. Then we had a great 2010 World Cup, In 2011, we won the Copa America and everything looked easy rolling. But at the beginning it was tough. He was almost sacked.
“With other managers, sometimes it’s difficult to know what happened. You all know that results in professional football matter a lot. Once there was a lot of stability and then it changes, and it becomes more difficult.
“Something that Manchester United are enduring right now. When Alex Ferguson was at the helm, United were rocking. Now they are changing coaches every now and then.”
Forlan played under Ferguson at United between 2002 and 2004.
Time to move on
Uruguay relied heavily on Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, the two top strikers, when they were having a great run. Forlan, who said he enjoyed playing with them, however, felt it was time Uruguay moved on.
“We don’t have to think how we are going to fill that gap. Nobody is going to stay forever. So we need to adapt and see that life doesn’t stop with someone. Now we have Darwin (Nunez), we have (Federico) Vinhas, and other players who have good quality.
ISL memories
Most sportspersons have an elephantine memory. They can say exactly what happened in a match or a race that took place maybe 20 years ago.
Forlan, who had a stint with Mumbai City in 2016, still remembers his ISL days vividly. “My red card against ATK in Calcutta changed the match (first leg of the semi-final). Sunil (Chhetri) and myself were playing and I think that year Mumbai City could have won the league. I have such fond memories, but the red card still rankles.”
He also said India would only gain from playing against teams like Brazil and Uruguay.
“It’s always better to prove yourself against stronger national teams. If you want to improve, you need competition. For the national team, playing these kind of matches, I think it’s good for Indian football.”