By Joiner Martinez
05 Jul 2024, 20:37 PM EDT
Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, in charge of the Uruguayan national team, highlighted the competitive spirit of the Uruguayan player on Friday and praised the sporting system of this country, in which young people grow up prioritizing “competition.”
He did so at the press conference prior to the Copa América quarter-final match against Brazil, scheduled for this Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
“In terms of training footballers, Uruguay has something different, which is its football structures at very early ages. Everyone advises that competition should be given priority at certain ages,” said Bielsa.
“The Uruguayan player maintains the agonistic quality as a primary virtue,” he added.
Uruguay faces a Brazil that will be without Vinicius Junior, suspended due to accumulation of cards.
“Brazil is a country that has many wingers, playing in great teams and at a good level. The substitute that the rival chooses to make up for Vinicius’ absence will not be an easy option to neutralise,” he said.
Brazilian coach Dorival Junior announced that Endrick will start in the match at Allegiant Stadium alongside Raphinha and Rodrygo Góes.
In his press conference, Bielsa also offered his point of view on the Colombian team, which he could face in a hypothetical semi-final.
“Colombia is a team that has more than one option in each position, without there being any major differences between who starts and who enters. These are realities, not opinions. The Colombian player has undergone a transformation because he plays in the best leagues in the world, they compete naturally,” he said.
Bielsa: “Football is in a downward spiral”
Bielsa also made a long reflection on the current state of football, a sport that in his opinion is “in a downward process” and in which “what made it the first game in the world is no longer privileged.”
Bielsa believes that the desire to increase revenue and benefit the business with more matches has made the final product “increasingly less attractive” and that there are fewer and fewer players “who deserve to be seen.”
He did so in response to a question about the controversies generated by the refereeing in the Copa America. He defended the work of the referees, which he considered much more complicated than that of the footballers, and from there he launched a ‘cry’ of love for the real values of football.
“Refereeing controversies are never healthy, especially because referees have a very difficult job. The help of technology makes us even more stubborn in assessing conclusions that seem irreversible. For me, that does a lot of harm to football,” Bielsa began, adding that “as people interpret that no one can make a mistake, and that if someone makes a mistake you have to point it out,” the problems will increase.
“As the game becomes absolutely predictable, and that is where we are heading, it will lose more and more of its appeal. Football is in a downward spiral,” he said.
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