Bielsa bids farewell to World Cup as red mist descends for Uruguay against Spain | OneFootball

Revered by many, a myth for some, Marcelo Bielsa’s time as a World Cup manager is likely up for good after Uruguay’s loss to Spain sealed their fate of a group-stage exit.

Uruguay crashing out before the knockout stage is one of the big underachievements of this World Cup so far. Losing to Spain, one of the tournament favourites, is fair enough, but as for dropping points against the other foes in the group? Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, really?

It’s been a thoroughly underwhelming campaign by Uruguay, who weren’t expected to go far enough to win it but have fallen at a far earlier hurdle than expected.

They offered little threat against Spain and only had themselves to blame, with the only goal of the game coming about after a big error by experienced goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

Spain took the lead shortly before half time, with Muslera letting the ball slip through his grasp from Alex Baena’s shot.

Bielsa took his goalkeeper off at half time, at Muslera’s own request, but there were bigger issues to solve.

A more head-scratching change by the Uruguay boss was to take off Federico Valverde after less than an hour. True, they had already been forced into one midfield change with the loss of Manuel Ugarte to injury, but removing their captain and talisman – what’s more, one accustomed to playing against Spanish players week in, week out for Real Madrid – was a bold call when chasing a game.

Even if he wanted something different in midfield, he could have moved Valverde out wide.

Regardless, and with Darwin Nunez Darwin Nunez-ing, Uruguay seemed disjointed throughout the game and barely registered genuine attempts on goal. Just one short on target in the end, it was.

And it all ended in ugly fashion, as Agustin Canobbio was sent off for a reckless challenge. Commotion followed on the touchline.

Amid a backdrop of reports leaking disagreements between Uruguay’s players and Bielsa in the build up, this was a drab response.

And so Bielsa’s World Cup legacy will not be a strong one, unlike some of his achievements at club level.

He first led Argentina at the 2002 World Cup, but finished below Sweden and England in a failure to get out of the groups.

It was an underperformance by an ageing but still talented group, containing the likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Javier Zanetti and Hernan Crespo.

In 2010, Bielsa succeeded in getting Chile out of their group, before they were knocked out at the next hurdle by Brazil. Not too unreasonable, in fairness.

But that round of 16 exit from 16 years ago will remain the furthest Bielsa ever went in a World Cup, with Uruguay not gaining enough points – having drawn their first two games – to finish among the better third-placed teams that would stand a chance of qualifying.

At 70 and unlikely to continue in his current post, Bielsa may never manage at a World Cup again.

For some, he will go down as one of the game’s greatest minds. But this was never the stage on which he expressed it.