World Cup 2026: Four leaders of the Uruguayan national team stood up to Bielsa

A strong version that emerged in Uruguayan media claims that four key players from the Uruguay national team, Sergio Rochet, Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Federico Valverde, confronted Marcelo Bielsa and requested a meeting to express their dissatisfaction with the physical load of the training sessions and propose a modification in the game strategy.

The players conveyed to the coach that "we can't stand this way of training," and argued that several members of the squad arrived with a significant load of matches, injuries, or physical discomfort. They also recalled that before the friendly match against the United States, in which Uruguay was heavily defeated, the last training session was of very high intensity and that this was felt during the match.

The leaders also requested the coach to modify the tactical scheme to face Spain. The squad's proposal was to opt for "a low block and counterattack," while Bielsa reportedly rejected that idea because he wanted to play "mirror against the Spanish national team," staying true to his usual offensive approach.

After the initial proposal, the coach gathered the entire squad and spoke for about 48 minutes, stating that some players present in the call-up came despite their physical problems because "they have been loyal to me".

While Bielsa continued his explanation, several players began to stand up to leave the meeting. At that moment, José María Giménez reportedly intervened to try to preserve the coach's authority, asking them to stay until the end of the talk.