Bielsa slams Flamengo over Arrascaeta row, moved by Varela

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·30 Juni 2026

Bielsa slams Flamengo over Arrascaeta row, moved by Varela

Former Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa spoke about the World Cup elimination

In a farewell interview lasting more than an hour this Tuesday (30), Marcelo Bielsa spoke about Uruguay’s elimination in the first round of the World Cup. At one point, the former Celeste coach pushed back at Flamengo over Arrascaeta’s muscle injury. Mengão ‘blamed’ El Loco’s intense training sessions for the No. 10’s injury.

— My position was: if you want to train, train. If you don’t want to, don’t train. If you think you’re at risk, don’t train. Arrascaeta’s muscle injury reported by Flamengo has absolutely nothing to do with what we, as coaching staff and medical team, did regarding the recovery and rehabilitation process —, Bielsa began. — Arrascaeta is a guy who dedicated every single day to his health. The recovery time for the muscle problem is the same as for the clavicle. Spotless, there’s no way to improve on it. What Flamengo did to turn Arrascaeta into the best attacking midfielder in the Americas is, from the standpoint of managing a player’s health, extraordinary work —, El Loco added.

SO, WHAT HAPPENED WITH ARRASCAETA?

Injured on the eve of the World Cup with a fractured clavicle, in Flamengo’s match against Estudiantes (ARG), Arrascaeta was released early by Mengão to finish his recovery with the Uruguayan federation. When the star recovered from the shoulder issue, he returned to the field under a ‘heavy workload,’ according to what Flamengo alleges, and suffered a calf problem. Because of the injury, the No. 10 did not play a single minute at the World Cup and was only on the bench in one match, the last one, against Spain, which ended with Uruguay’s elimination.

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— He arrived with the clavicle injury (for the World Cup), and he was going to take part in his first full training session on the day before Spain. Imagine what the real possibility was of playing, with two months without training and five days before the fourth match we would have played. Arrascaeta is so noble that I authorized the process. He turned from a glass player into an athlete. That person who built all of that —, Bielsa said.

SO, WAS THERE EMOTION OVER VARELA?

Of the three Flamengo players called up by Uruguay, Varela was the one who got the most opportunities. The full-back started against Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, and Spain, delivering a great performance in Marcelo Bielsa’s view.

— From my point of view, Varela played a World Cup that moved me because of his commitment. Cáceres improved, Olivera, Sanabria, Bentancur, Canobbio, Araújo... you include De la Cruz, you include Ugarte, some moments from Federico Viñas in the second half. So how can I say that I feel that because we missed 15 chances or because we conceded three or four avoidable goals —, he lamented.

IS DE LA CRUZ IMPROVING, AFTER ALL?

If Varela started every game and Arrascaeta did not play a single minute, De La Cruz came off the bench in every match. However, if Uruguay had advanced, the situation would have been different. Marcelo Bielsa intended to put the midfielder in the team for the World Cup knockout rounds.

— De la Cruz played two out of every ten matches in the last six months. That is progress, in the three weeks he had with us, which, from my point of view, allowed us to rediscover a player we hardly remembered anymore. He played at 84% of his maximum physical potential against Saudi Arabia. 92% against Cape Verde and 85% against Spain. For me, De la Cruz deserved a starting spot after the game against Spain. He deserved it and was working for it —, Bielsa concluded.

HOW DID URUGUAY DO AT THE WORLD CUP, IN SHORT?

Uruguay finished third in its World Cup group, behind Spain and Cape Verde. Bielsa’s team drew with Saudi Arabia and also with the World Cup’s ‘surprise team.’ In the third round, the defeat to the Europeans ended any chance of qualification.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.