Marcelo Bielsa is widely revered as a pioneer of coaching, but his unconventional methods risk ruining Uruguay’s World Cup chances before the tournament has even begun, with rumours of dressing room unrest.Nicknamed “El Loco”, which means madman, the 70-year-old’s bold, attacking approach has proved an inspiration to a younger generation of coaches, including Pep Guardiola and USA boss Mauricio Pochettino.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listYet, his famously demanding standards have often caused friction during a nomadic coaching career, and his stint in Uruguay has been no exception.The Argentinian’s arrival initially generated huge excitement, which was fuelled by landmark victories over Brazil and Argentina in qualifying.But they needed that flying start just to make it through after winning just three of their final 12 qualifiers.The tipping point for many in the squad came at the Copa America in 2024.Uruguay finished a creditable third, eliminating Brazil along the way, but Bielsa’s intensity during the monthlong tournament did not endear him to his players.Luis Suarez hit out at Bielsa’s methods after retiring from international football months later, claiming he had reduced former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez to tears at half-time of a 2-0 win over Argentina, such was the force of his criticism.Bielsa accepted that after the former Barcelona striker’s backlash, his “authority was affected” with the rest of the dressing room.Results have also regressed, with Bielsa …
