The absence of Nández according to Marcelo Bielsa:
Before the round of questions, Bielsa explained why he did not call Nahitan Nández:
“The reasons for Nández’s absence are sportingthere is no other reason that has to do with something other than sports. First, Nández never had differences with me, or discussions or confrontations, that should have forced me to consider something outside of sports. I have no non-sporting reason to make a decision to call or not call, I would say, to any player. In the case of Nández I understand the astonishment because Nández was a player who played regularlythat in the Copa América my criterion was the player who played the best on the team, but, in fact, to confirm that I have no difference, that there is no extra-sporting difference, for the match with England and Algeria until the last minute we were managing Nández’s participation. He had a long free period prior to those two games and we were managing his participation, he had a muscle discomfort, I was talking to the Arab team’s doctor to manage his participation. “Then he had a more serious respiratory problem.”
20250610 Marcelo Bielsa orders the Uruguay team against Venezuela in the Qualifiers, while Nahitan Nández cools off
“I followed Nández’s season, he had a good season in his club, as in all cases I watched all the games, I analyzed all the games. I chose three players, Nández plays throughout the right sector, both in the national team and in his club, in the national team he has played as a winger, sometimes, a few times, as a midfielder; in his club he has played as a fullback, a midfielder, an offensive midfielder and a winger. In those positions, On the side I chose Varela, Valverde and Araujo. As a midfielder I chose Bentancur, De la Cruz and Valverde. And as a winger I chose Valverde, Pellistri and Canobbio. It is purely because they have opted for other players instead of choosing Nández. That happened to many players who were excluded because it seemed to me that others were the ones who solved the needs presented by each of the positions. I also point out that Valverde had a period where he played in that position and it suited me; Araujo has played a lot in that position and I have valued it positively; and Varela this semester took over ownership at Flamengo. “I may or may not have been wrong, but they were or are in the sports area.”
