The last time Oscar Washington Tabarez and I spoke, the Uruguayan football coach had a lot to say. Except I didn't understand a word. The occasion was a Fifa free-for-all ahead of the 2010 World Cup where reporters were promised interviews with coaches, then discovered it was like trying to intercept survivors fleeing a burning building to get their comments on the fire.I had vainly hoped for an exclusive with Fabio Capello. Nothing doing.The French and Mexican coaches, whose teams were in Bafan Bafana's group, either did not arrive or were too aloof, as with Raymond Domenech. Perhaps the French coach knew what awaited him at the tournament - a player mutiny, dismal performances and even defeat by Bafana Bafana.The Fifa fixer offered Tabarez, but there was one problem: the man spoke no English and I no Spanish. No problemo. A Mexican journalist named Alfredo volunteered to interpret. Alfredo was fluent in Spanish and English, and translated my questions and Tabarez's answers.Tabarez was asked some dumb-ass questions that football coaches have to put up with every week of the season. Nevertheless, he patiently gave long and detailed answers, possibly providing essential background to a reporter who he must have realised had not a clue about Uruguayan football.Alfredo's translations, however, were brief and without substance."Alfredo," I asked him. "He seems to be saying more than what you're telling me?""Archieee," Alfredo replied, his patience strained. "He talk a lot. He don't say much."Even if he did talk a lot and not say much, it was soon clear that Tabarez knew a bit.You don't last long as a football manager in South America without knowing a lot, and Tabarez has had two stints as the Uruguay boss, the first between 1988 and 1990 and the latest, which started in 2006. He has taken the team to every World Cup that coincided with the two terms, reaching the last 16 twice and the semifinals here in 2010.Ten years in the same job is a lifetime for a South American coach and Uruguay is a proud football nation, having won two World Cups and 22 international titles - more than any other country. It goes without saying that Uruguay don't tolerate doppies, like some nations we won't mention.A week ago Uruguay went to the top of the South American group for the 2018 World Cup qualifying, a notable achievement in the most competitive and unpredictable of all six of the Fifa confederations. With 10 matches still to play in a tight group, in which only five points separate the top seven, anything can still happen, but Tabarez looks on course for another World Cup.The man they call El Maestro is no stranger to the pressure that top of the pile brings. He's managed in more World Cup games - 47 - than any other and all with the same team.In our fixation with England's Premier League, Europe's Champions League and three teams in the PSL, Tabarez is never in the picture, but according to those who have been watching the South American qualifiers, the football is of a far higher standard and the excitement is unmatched.Forget the assorted Tinkermen whose names and clichéd quips are familiar to us, the best football manager in the world may be someone most of us can't even understand...