In the Copa America third and fourth place finals on July 14, Uruguay won a hard-fought victory over Canada on penalties, but head coach Felipe Bielsa wasn't satisfied in the post-match conference, pointing out the team's shortcomings in the game and his own tactical mistakes.
Bielsa began by admitting that the Uruguayan team did not perform at their best in this match. "We didn't play well in today's game and a draw was probably a more reasonable result." He said that the rival coach was more successful in his strategy of physical distribution, while he relied too much on his regular starters and ignored their state of fatigue. Bielsa pointed out that although both sides created equal chances, Uruguay did not capitalize on them, showing the team's inefficiency on the offensive end.
Bielsa described Uruguay's performance in the Copa America as "one of the three best teams" and was optimistic about finishing in the top three. However, he also admitted that he made tactical mistakes and failed to get the best out of his players. "I tried to stick to my style of soccer, but in this game I found the opponents more dynamic and they outplayed us in several phases." Bielsa said that although Uruguay had the better players, those players were not able to show their full strength in the game due to fitness issues.
Speaking about Suarez, Bielsa spoke highly of him. He believes that the level of skill and fitness that Suarez displayed during his time on the pitch makes him well qualified to compete for a start at center forward. "He had a satisfactory second half today, not only scoring the key goal, but also organizing some attacks and creating chances for the team." Bielsa said that the time spent working with Suarez has convinced him even more of the player's excellence and greatness, and that his presence is a great support for the team.
Bielsa did not give a clear answer about his future at the conference. When asked if he would continue to be the head coach of the Uruguayan national team, he said he did not understand the origin of the question and refused to answer. However, from Bielsa's words, it can be seen that he has a firm belief in his coaching philosophy and persistent pursuit.
Finally, Bielsa also spoke about the uproar caused by his previous comments. He stated that he has stopped reading reports about himself and his comments for a long time because when one has that kind of public image, they end up getting caught up in themselves. But he also emphasized that everything he says is true and verifiable. "An agitated person can lose part of his mind, but I reviewed what I said in my head and I think those are indisputable."
