Bielsa’s new-look Uruguay test Saudi dreams of another World Cup upset

Saudi Arabia will attempt to recreate their World Cup magic from 2022 when they face Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay in their Group H opener on Monday, but this time it is uncertainty rather than confidence driving the Gulf nation’s campaign.

Saudi Arabia arrive under new coach Georgios Donis, who has no international tournament experience and was appointed less than two months before the World Cup after a dramatic managerial upheaval when Hervé Renard was dismissed in April.

Renard had secured his place in Saudi football history four years ago when he masterminded a stunning 2-1 victory over eventual champions Argentina in Qatar, one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.

Brought back in 2024 after Roberto Mancini’s brief and unsuccessful tenure, the Frenchman was expected to restore the intensity and organisation that had made Saudi Arabia tricky opponents in Doha.

Instead, inconsistent performances and concerning defeats, including a 4-0 loss to Egypt and a 2-1 setback against Serbia in friendly matches, prompted a late managerial change before a daunting group featuring Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde.

Donis, a former Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United midfielder with extensive managerial experience in Saudi club football, now faces the challenge of reviving confidence in a squad that has struggled to build momentum.

Captain Salem Al-Dawsari remains the team’s talisman and greatest attacking threat, with memories of his iconic winner against Argentina still fresh in Saudi football folklore.

Uruguay, meanwhile, arrive under Bielsa seeking to prove that the veteran coach’s latest rebuilding project can deliver on football’s biggest stage.

Appointed in 2023, Bielsa has overseen a generational transition away from World Cup veterans such as Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, who scored the winner against Saudi Arabia when they last met at the 2018 World Cup.

Instead, he has built a more balanced squad around a younger core led by Federico Valverde, Darwin Núñez and Ronald Araújo — who is a doubt for the opener due to a muscle issue.

Bielsa’s trademark high-intensity pressing style and quick transitions in attack have produced impressive highs, including victories over Brazil and Argentina in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers and a Copa America semifinal run in 2024.

But inconsistency remains a concern, with Uruguay finishing fourth in South American qualifying after mixing encouraging results with disappointing performances, including a heavy 5-1 defeat by the US in a November friendly.

Off-field tensions and public criticism from former captain Suarez have also cast a shadow over Bielsa’s tenure, but their opening match represents an opportunity to justify their status as one of the group favourites.

For Saudi Arabia, which had a fairy-tale run to the last 16 on their World Cup debut in the US in 1994, it is another chance to prove they can still deliver the sort of upset that captivated the football world in 2022.

Reuters

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