Tabarez ready to ring changes

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has suggested wholesale changes could be in the offing for the crunch FIFA World Cup clash against England.

Both teams came off second best in their opening encounters, but, while England impressed for large parts of their 2-1 reverse to Italy in Manaus, Uruguay were humiliated 3-1 by Costa Rica, despite holding a 1-0 half-time lead against Group D’s pre-tournament outsiders.

Luis Suarez is set to return to the starting line-up having completed his recovery from knee surgery, but Tabarez, who is leading Uruguay at the finals for a third time, is not kidding himself that the Liverpool star can instantly cure all of his team’s ills.

“We are going to change everything,” he told reporters. “We need to win, so do England.

“We have to change our attitude and put different measures in place. And we are aware of that. England were unlucky against Italy.

“Their attackers are very powerful. They have a lot of young players with great potential.

“They are very fast and make quick decisions – they get into the right areas. We will have to look to limit that.”

Youngsters such as Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling have captured the imagination since Roy Hodgson’s team began their World Cup build-up, with the latter playing a starring role versus Italy.

Nevertheless, Tabarez feels one of the England’s more seasoned campaigners could also have a huge influence on the Sao Paulo showdown.

“Steven Gerrard is the thermometer of English football,” he added.

“He is a player we cannot neglect. We have to be aware of his power and control it.

“We must position ourselves correctly on the pitch and watch all the big players.”