DOHA
\nStar Uruguayan forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani face the ignominy of crashing out of the World Cup with a whimper but it is coach Diego Alonso who is taking the flak back home.
\nWith Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi soaking up the limelight at what is likely to be their last World Cup, Uruguay\u2019s two veterans have flown under the radar.
\nSuarez and Cavani, both 35, have already said this will be their last World Cup and after a drab 0-0 draw with South Korea and a 2-0 defeat to Portugal, Friday\u2019s final Group H clash with Ghana could be their final act on the biggest stage.
\nWhile not mentioned in the same breath as Ronaldo and Messi, Suarez and Cavani are nonetheless two of the greatest forwards of their generation.
\nThey occupy the top two spots on Uruguay\u2019s all-time record scorers\u2019 list, with Suarez as number one, and were part of the teams that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2010 before winning the Copa America the following year.
\nBut while Messi scored in Argentina\u2019s 2-0 victory over Mexico in Qatar and Ronaldo made history as the first player to score in five World Cups, the Uruguayan pair have been a huge disappointment.
\nSuarez started against South Korea and barely had a kick before he was replaced by Cavani in the second half.
\nThe roles were reversed against Portugal, and although they both had a single chance they each failed to get it on target.
\nBut in Uruguay the focus has not been on the veteran strikers. Instead it is Alonso who has been subjected to critical scrutiny.
\nFollowing the Portugal defeat he was asked about his perceived negative tactics in Qatar, being unfavourably compared to his previous more expansive style that helped Uruguay win their final four qualifiers to book their ticket to Doha.
\n\u201cWe have not stopped doing it (attacking) but the opposition are also playing,\u201d said Alonso.
\n\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean that we don\u2019t want to try. Sometimes your opponents are also competing, playing well and preventing you from getting into the positions you want.\u201d
\nIn their first mach in Qatar, against the Koreans, Uruguay failed to muster a single shot on target, although they did hit the woodwork twice.
\nAgainst Portugal, they struggled to get hold of the ball in the first half, although they hit the post through Maxi Gomez after the break.
\n\u201cUruguay did not lose because of Diego Alonso\u2019s 3-5-2 formation,\u201d said sports newspaper Ovacion. \u201cBut it would have been very difficult to win playing like this.\u201d
\nThere are also rumours of discord within the ranks after Cavani gave a terse and suggestive reply to a question about what was happening with Uruguay.
\n\u201cYou have to ask Alonso this,\u201d he said. \u201cHe will be able to tell you more about the tactics.\u201d
\nCavani appeared unimpressed when his number came up against Portugal, with Uruguay a goal down and needing to chase the game.
\nSome commentators have acknowledged the limitations of the two 35-year-olds but still are not pointing the finger at them for Uruguay\u2019s failures.
\n\u201cThe sharp shooter (Suarez) is not the same as before. The years are passing, and he\u2019s not that player that chased every ball and always won challenges with defenders,\u201d said Uruguayan newspaper El Observador after the team\u2019s first match.
\nThe fault, said the newspaper, lay with those meant to create the chances.
\n\u201cIn the second half Cavani came on, but it was more of the same, because without support he didn\u2019t have any chances.\u201d
\nUnless either can roll back the years against Ghana, the careers of two of Uruguay\u2019s greatest players could end in anti-climax.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DOHA Star Uruguayan forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani face the ignominy of crashing out of the World Cup with a whimper but it is coach Diego Alonso who is taking the flak back home. With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi soaking up the limelight at what is likely to be their last World Cup, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-298713","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n