Bielsa wants more from five-star Uruguay after Bolivia rout

Marcelo Bielsa believes Uruguay have more to do to mark themselves out as one of the favourites to win the Copa America, despite crushing Bolivia 5-0 to make it two wins from two games.

Facundo Pellistri, Darwin Nunez, Maximiliano Araujo, Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur all scored as Bielsa’s team ran riot in their second Group C game on Thursday.

It was Uruguay’s biggest win in the Copa America since 1959, when they beat Argentina by the same scoreline in the group stage.

Having opened their campaign with a 3-1 win over Panama, they have won their first two matches at a Copa America tournament for the first time since 1995, when they went on to lift the trophy.

A figure of 2.74 expected goals (xG) from 18 shots to Bolivia’s 0.06 (four shots) spoke to Uruguay’s dominance, but Bielsa feels they still have much to prove.

“Without underestimating the strengths of the two teams we faced, those teams are not among the main competitors for the title,” the former Leeds United boss said.

“Respectfully, I think that there are some very significant steps to be taken. Drawing conclusions today would be incorrect.

“Winning two games without facing the best teams in the competition does not allow us to define ourselves as one of the most important teams, that is a long way from being confirmed.”

Uruguay 5-0 Bolivia

Uruguay have started a Copa America with consecutive wins for the first time since 1995. They went on to win that tournament.#URUBOL #CopaAmérica pic.twitter.com/DuX4ul1o8F

— Opta Analyst US (@OptaAnalystUS) June 28, 2024

Uruguay now have a three-point cushion at the top of their group after the United States lost 2-1 to Panama, meaning a draw against the hosts in their final match will secure top spot.

Asked how well the players were adapting to his style, Bielsa added: “As for the identification with our way of playing, that is being verified game by game.

“In the previous match we had 15 minutes of the second half with a different performance than the rest of the match, today there was also a similar period where the production was different, for a certain time we stopped creating danger for the opponents.”