Bielsa defends medical protocols amid Uruguay's World Cup injury woes

Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa on Sunday defended his medical staff's protocols for player recovery, addressing concerns over several key squad members being sidelined ahead of the World Cup.

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Araujo arrived with a muscle problem which wasn't serious. He had no serious muscle problems in the last six months at Barcelona. He also suffered a muscle tear. My conclusion is the same. If the player gets injured in training, something is wrong. But Araujo works with a group he trusts a lot and no decisions were made without reaching a consensus with them and Araujo himself.

Defender Ronald Araujo suffered a muscle tear during training, joining Jose Maria Gimenez and Giorgian de Arrascaeta on the injury list. Araujo had previously sustained a muscle tear before the 2022 World Cup, though he made the squad and did not play.

"Araujo arrived with a muscle problem which wasn't serious. He had no serious muscle problems in the last six months at Barcelona. He also suffered a muscle tear," Bielsa told reporters. "My conclusion is the same. If the player gets injured in training, something is wrong. But Araujo works with a group he trusts a lot and no decisions were made without reaching a consensus with them and Araujo himself."

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We feel responsible, but we couldn't have done anything differently.

Bielsa also discussed the injury situations of Gimenez and Arrascaeta, who are recovering from ankle and calf injuries, respectively. He emphasized that player trust in their monitoring teams and consensus-driven decisions were paramount. "A muscle tear during recovery and preparation must necessarily be interpreted as a mistake," Bielsa conceded, but added, "Regarding whether we didn't take all the necessary measures to prevent it, we took absolutely all the necessary measures."

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A muscle tear during recovery and preparation must necessarily be interpreted as a mistake. Regarding whether we didn't take all the necessary measures to prevent it, we took absolutely all the necessary measures.

Despite the injury setbacks, Bielsa affirmed that Uruguay would maintain its open, possession-based attacking style for their World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia. "The way we play is no secret. We try to have possession of the ball, we try to go forward and attack with many players," he said.

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The way we play is no secret. We try to have possession of the ball, we try to go forward and attack with many players.