The midfielder Arturo Vidal reacted this Tuesday against the coach of chilli, Ricardo Garecaafter a 1-2 home loss against Bolivia in a match on the eighth day of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and said “I will never replace Berizzo”, who was replaced by the coach in the office.
The former FC Barcelona and Juventus player, who now plays for Chilean side Colo Colo, also questioned the coach’s decision to replace Ben Brereton in the first half of the match in Santiago. “I would never have changed Berizzo,” Vidal shot on the ‘Kick’ platform, referring to the change of coach that the Chilean Football Federation made last January when the former Argentine coach resigned. “But because he didn’t give information to the journalists… they fired him! The press interrupted the processes that were going well,” he added.
Eduardo Berizzo leaves the position of La Roja at the end of 2023, after playing six rounds of qualifiers in which he added five to 18 points, leaving Chile in eighth place in the table, from positions that give access in the World Cup. “Gareca has gone through a very difficult path,” said Vidal, who has not been called up by the Argentine for official matches in the last Copa América and the qualifying round.
“He can’t bring Ben out. He’ll kill Ben. I don’t understand the change. You have to bring out Dávila or Osorio, who disrupt the midfield. Ben is good, one-on-one. He’s looking for her well in the sides,” analyzed the ‘King’. The midfielder then added: “I don’t understand the decision making. They respect each other, because he is the coach, but I don’t understand what we are playing.”
The La Roja coach replaced the English Southampton striker 35 minutes before the match, to bring Vicente Pizarro into the midfield and correct the strategy of the match.
Brereton did not start in Thursday’s 3-0 loss against Argentina, but came on in the second half and added 11 minutes of play. The forward was applauded by the National Stadium crowd as he left the field.
Gareca assured in a press conference that he made the change because he considered that he needed to strengthen the midfield because the team “didn’t synchronize well in containment”. “I choose to change when I think it’s convenient, I have the possibility to do it at the time I want in the game, it’s part of my job,” he said. Vidal’s laments for a historic defeat, as Chile did not lose to La Verde at home in official matches, continued: “It’s terrible, I can’t speak. It hurts me a lot. It’s pointless to lose like this, having of great players.”
Criticism of the midfielder Gareca, a figure of the Chilean team that is two-time champion in 2015 and 2016 Copas América, began after the defeat against Argentina. Vidal complained that the coach did not start his Colo Colo teammate Carlos Palacios, who came on in the second half, or midfielder Vicente Pizarro, who came on for Brereton today.
“This idiot doesn’t watch Libertadores! It’s like he only watches Argentine soccer matches,” he said a few days ago considering that the white team will play in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores against Argentine River Plate . Gareca was consulted by the press, this Monday, regarding Vidal’s statements.
“I would not enter into controversy either with colleagues or with players, much less with Vidal who is an authoritative voice. We have always been respectful of opinions, as long as there is no physical aggression it is normal for everyone to give their opinion, I am ready to the criticisms,” he said.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
