Former defender Diego Lugano spared no criticism of coach Marcelo Bielsa after Uruguay’s elimination this Friday (26) against Spain, 1-0, in Zapopan. Currently a commentator for Telemundo, the historic defender criticized the work carried out by the commander and questioned the choice of the Uruguayan Football Association.
“The truth is that it’s difficult to put the disappointment into words. The sadness I feel for the players, who gave their all, but didn’t compete on equal terms with other teams because I don’t think they had a coach who could guide them in the right direction. He made incomprehensible changes, incomprehensible tactics. Bielsa contaminated the environment, he never understood where he was.”
“. A big mistake by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) was arriving at the World Cup with Bielsa tied to a million-dollar contract. That’s the truth.”
The Uruguayan team’s campaign was far below expectations in this edition of the World Cup, with just two points in group H, and questionable performances against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia. In the last match against Spain, the team also saw the experienced goalkeeper scored by Álex Baena.
Marcelo Bielsa was announced by Uruguay in May 2023 and was part of the team, after a poor campaign in the Qatar edition in 2022. In addition to the World Cup, the coach was in charge of the team in the 2024 Copa América, when they were eliminated in the semi-finals against Colombia.
“Obviously, those who will suffer are the players, who suffer the criticism and will be marked in Uruguay by the worst World Cup in our history. And the coach goes to another country and forgets what happened, right?”, added Diego Lugano.
