La Celeste remain in with a shout of their 16th Copa America title following an impressive run through the group stages and defeat of Brazil via penalties in the quarter-finals. Standing between them and a place in Sunday’s final are Colombia, and despite the high-pressure situation their 68-year-old coach was prepared to toy with reporters in his latest press conference.
Head coach Marcelo Bielsa, left, and Maximiliano Arauo speak with the media during a press conference
At the tournament, managers have commonly spoken alongside a player of theirs – this time for Uruguay it was left-winger Maxi Araujo with Bielsa. The former Leeds coach picked up on a line of questioning as his player was effectively asked to say what it was like working for his boss, who was sat two feet away.
This would be an awkward situation for anyone in any walk of life, so Bielsa cut in with a brilliant response.
“You ask Maxi about me whilst I am next to him, you ask me about Maxi whilst while he is sitting next to me. I believe that Maxi is a vulgar player, that what he has achieved is by luck, and I don’t think he will achieve anything else.
“I had never seen him play, I called him [up to the national team] because someone recommended him to me,” he said before sitting back in his chair with a wry smile.
Laughter amongst the reporters erupted in background, whilst Aruajo also got a chuckle out of the situation.
During his four years in England, the media and public grew to understand the enigmatic figure that is Bielsa, only this jovial side may not have come across as especially on television interviews. He kept his head down speaking in Spanish, allowing Andres Clavijo to translate every single sentence.
In his latest role that is not an issue though, but one that could crop up for him is having to let down his home country in the final. World champions Argentina, from where Bielsa hails, have booked their place in the final already so if Uruguay were to join them, his task would be to defeat them too.
