‘Nobody was interested in what I transmitted’: Bielsa on Uruguay’s dismal WC

“Nobody was interested in what I transmitted, I don’t have the smallest doubt of that. I’ve experienced it in the same way that an engineer who lived in Australia and wanted to be a manager in Montevideo came over. I said ‘OK, come over’, I told him what I know and he accepted it and is now working in Uruguayan football. He’s the only one who I remember being interested,” he added.

Last week, after losing to Spain, Bielsa had a scathing assessment of himself, taking all the responsibility for Uruguay’s World Cup exit.

“I am responsible for this disappointment. Obviously, I don’t need to define this performance… If you ask me how my time (with the national team) will be remembered, it is a tenure that left nothing behind. What do I leave for Uruguayan soccer? Nothing, because any contribution that a coach might make to soccer in a country after three years of work never truly takes hold if results aren’t achieved. Fourth place in the qualifiers didn’t count for much, and a third-place finish in the Copa América didn’t, either. And there is obviously no need to spell it out after what happened now.” Biesla had told reporters after the loss.