Manager admits his 'authority affected' after Liverpool star reduced to tears in the dressing room

Marcelo Bielsa has admitted that his ‘authority’ has been affected as Uruguay manager after Luis Suarez’s criticism.

Liverpool hero Suarez retired from international duty last month and subsequently hit out at La Celeste boss Bielsa’s methods. Suarez revealed that Reds striker Darwin Nunez was reduced to tears at half-time in a clash against Argentina in November 2023 because of the ex-Leeds United chief’s harsh approach. Nunez went on to score the second goal in Uruguay’s historic 2-0 win and immediately celebrated the goal with Suarez.

Revealing what he told Nunez in the dressing room, Suarez recalled: “You are here on your own merit, because of how you work, because you are a goalscorer and you are the best. You have to continue like this, forget what others are saying. Wash your face, go out there and smash it.” The country’s captain Federico Valverde admitted that he and other senior players planned to hold talks with Bielsa over his modus operandi. Uruguay suffered a shock 1-0 loss at the hands of Peru last weekend, which leaves them third in the South American table to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. La Celeste face Ecuador in the early hours of Wednesday hoping to get back on track, with Nunez available after having his five-game ban he picked up in the Copa America for a fracas with Colombia fans suspended.

And although Bielsa confessed his position has been somewhat undermined, he did not believe it was the reason why Uruguay were beaten. He said: “As for how the situation affected me, I don’t ignore what happened, and I know that my authority was affected in some way. What happened during the week does not condition or explain how we played, nor do I think it has had an effect because it was a week with a lot of effervescence.

“It didn’t alter the conviction with which the match was prepared and the way the group and the coaching staff worked. The preparation was the same as always.”