Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said Sunday his team’s medical staff followed all required protocols in managing player recovery, pushing back against scrutiny after multiple key squad members were ruled out ahead of the World Cup.
Uruguay open their campaign against Saudi Arabia on Monday, but preparations have been disrupted by injuries to defender Ronald Araujo, Jose Maria Gimenez and midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta. Araujo suffered a muscle tear in training, adding to concerns for a player who also missed participation at the 2022 World Cup due to injury.
Speaking to reporters, Bielsa said Araujo had arrived at camp with a minor muscular issue and had been managed carefully throughout. “My conclusion is the same: If the player gets injured in training, something is wrong,” he said, adding that decisions were taken in coordination with the player and medical staff. “We feel responsible, but we couldn’t have done anything differently.”
Bielsa said Gimenez, who is recovering from an ankle problem, returned to training after a brief delay following a structured rehabilitation plan. He also said De Arrascaeta’s calf injury had been managed collaboratively between Uruguay’s staff, the player and his club Flamengo, with all parties involved in planning each training session.
The coach acknowledged the frustration of losing players during preparation but insisted the injuries did not reflect negligence. “A muscle tear during recovery and preparation must necessarily be interpreted as a mistake,” Bielsa said. “Regarding whether we didn’t take all the necessary measures to prevent it, we took absolutely all the necessary measures.”
Uruguay were eliminated in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup, where Araujo did not feature due to injury despite being included in the squad.
Bielsa also reaffirmed that Uruguay would stick to their possession-based playing style for the tournament opener in spite of the setbacks. “The way we play is no secret,” he said. “We try to have possession of the ball, we try to go forward and attack with many players, and recover the ball quickly.”
