World Cup 2018: Top 10 Managers of the tournament

#9 Oscar Tabarez

Tabarez was the longest-serving manager in the World Cup

Tabarez was the longest-serving manager in the World Cup, having granted debuts to 20 out of the 23 he selected in his World Cup squad.

Tabarez’s experience and familiarity with the players showed in the tournament, as Uruguay were one of the most cohesive teams in the tournament.

The South Americans only conceded three goals in the tournament: one of which was an awful Fernando Muslera error.

While Uruguay’s defence is usually attributed to the individual excellence of players like Diego Godin, Jose Gimenez and Martin Caceres, Tabarez has helped develop these players since their debuts.

Moreover, the cohesion of the unit has to be attributed to Tabarez’s managerial acumen.

Many have criticised the Uruguayan manager for playing quite a defensive style, as they struggled to score against the likes of Saudi Arabia and Egypt (only squeaking by with two 1-0 wins).

However, Tabarez should also be credited for the counter-attacking dynamism that Uruguay displayed against Portugal. Indeed, the link-up play of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani has improved significantly over the past decade and Tabarez (along with his coaching staff) deserve credit for that.

However, that style was successful in the tournament until Uruguay’s loss to France. While that quarter-final was indeed disappointing, perhaps Uruguay could have upset the Les Blues if they had Edinson Cavani at their disposal.