‘Adds nothing, takes away plenty’: Bielsa says hydration breaks destroy rhythm and romance of the beautiful game

MIAMI, June 21 — Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said the hydration breaks introduced in each half of matches at the World Cup add nothing to football while destroying the sport’s cultural essence.

Fifa introduced three-minute hydration breaks in each half at the halfway mark due to sweltering temperatures across host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico but the breaks have split opinions between players and coaches.

Critics say the breaks, which essentially break the game down into four quarters, simply allow broadcasters to benefit from commercial breaks for over two minutes and it has been a bone of contention among the sport’s purists.

“Playing four times instead of two alters the conception of what had been culturally built to interpret football,” Bielsa told reporters.

“This change of culture does not add anything and takes away a lot. I will just say that before this decision, football had a characteristic, now it has another. People fall in love with the game because of its characteristics.

“Of course technology like VAR, we commend it and value it. Technology offers more opportunities. There is another intention for the breaks and the conclusions I’m making here are not really my own. I also echo what I hear as well.”

Uruguay play Cape Verde in their second game on Sunday with the tightly contested group finely poised with all four teams on one point each.

Cape Verde held European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw with a defensive masterclass and Bielsa said Uruguay would learn their lessons from the low defensive block they came up against in the 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia.

“We did have a lot of possession and very few chances created in the first half,” Bielsa explained, adding that the team already knows the formation they need to play.

“In the second half, it was agile and offensive possession, dynamic in nature with a high level of mobility.”

Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez was largely neutralised by Saudi Arabia, with the striker taking only one shot before he was taken off at halftime, earning criticism for his performance.

The 26-year-old looks set to be dropped having not scored in his last 14 appearances for Uruguay but Bielsa said it was not an issue with confidence.

“Any footballer who is taking part at the World Cup doesn’t need any motivation,” Bielsa said.

“The consequences, the scope, the magnificence of such a high-calibre tournament - anyone taking part makes them highly driven and justifiably so.”

On a lighter note, Bielsa brushed off the suggestion that his players might emulate Spain’s Marc Cucurella, who has vowed to get a tattoo of coach Luis de la Fuente if they win the World Cup.

“This is not going to happen,” he said emphatically, prompting laughter. — Reuters