The midfielder Arturo Vidal reacted this Tuesday against the coach of Chili, Ricardo Garecaafter the 1-2 defeat at home against Bolivia in the eighth matchday of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and stated that “he would never have changed Berizzo”, whom the coach replaced in the position.
The former FC Barcelona and Juventus player, who now plays for Chilean side Colo Colo, also questioned the coach’s decision to substitute Ben Brereton in the first half of the match in Santiago. “I would never have changed Berizzo,” Vidal said on the platform ‘Kick’, referring to the change of coach that the Chilean Football Federation made last January when the previous Argentine coach resigned. “But since he didn’t give information to journalists… they got him fired! The press has cut off processes that were going well,” he added.
Eduardo Berizzo left the post of La Roja at the end of 2023, after playing six qualifying matches in which he collected five of 18 points, leaving Chile in eighth place in the table, outside the places that give access to the World Cup. “Gareca got himself into a very difficult path,” said Vidal, who has not been called up by the Argentine for the official matches of both the last Copa América and the qualifiers.
“He can’t take Ben off. He’s going to kill Ben. I don’t understand the change. You have to take off Dávila or Osorio, who are causing problems in midfield. Ben is fine, in one-on-one situations. He was looking for him well on the wings,” analysed the ‘King’. The midfielder then added: “I don’t understand the decision-making. They are respected, because he is the coach, but I can’t understand what we are playing for.”
The La Roja coach substituted the Southampton striker after 35 minutes of the match, bringing Vicente Pizarro into midfield and correcting the game’s approach.
Brereton had not started in the 3-0 defeat to Argentina last Thursday, but came on in the second half and played 11 minutes. The striker was applauded by the crowd at the National Stadium as he left the pitch.
Gareca said in a press conference that he made the change because he felt he needed to reinforce the midfield because the team “did not synchronize well in containment.” “I chose to change when I think it is convenient, I have the possibility to do it at the moment I want in the game, it is part of my job,” he said. Vidal’s laments for a historic defeat, since Chile had not lost to La Verde at home in official matches, continued: “How terrible, I am speechless. It hurts me a lot. It makes no sense to lose like that, having good players.”
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The midfielder, a star of the Chilean national team that was a two-time champion in the 2015 and 2016 Copa América, criticized Gareca after the defeat against Argentina. Vidal complained that the coach did not start his Colo Colo teammate Carlos Palacios, who came on in the second half, nor did he start midfielder Vicente Pizarro, who came on today for Brereton.
“This idiot doesn’t watch the Libertadores! It seems that he only watches Argentine football matches,” he said a few days ago considering that the white team will play the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores against Argentine River Plate. Gareca had already been consulted by the press last Monday regarding Vidal’s comments.
“I would not enter into controversy with colleagues or players, much less with Vidal who is an authoritative voice. We have always been respectful of opinions, as long as there is no physical aggression it is normal for everyone to have an opinion, I am prepared for criticism,” he said.
