บท 70: Chapter 70: Blasting Paulo Bento
Chapter 70: Blasting Paulo Bento
The morning after the match against Luxembourg, Bruno rushed back to Udine and appeared at Udinese's training ground in the afternoon. Other international players from Udinese gradually returned the next day. Guidolin took the opportunity to speak with each player about their performances and positions during the international break, a necessary part of his duties as coach. However, Guidolin became enraged after these discussions.
Udinese's star player and offensive linchpin, Bruno Fernandes, was called up by the Portuguese national team and played only about ten minutes across four matches during the last two international breaks—all in garbage time! Bruno is the absolute core of Udinese, having played 11 matches this season, scoring 7 goals and providing 6 assists, averaging over one goal involvement per game—a top performance in Serie A.
Guidolin was already displeased about his players being drafted for national duty, but seeing Bruno return from a grueling month of travel with only ten minutes of playtime infuriated him. "If you don't value Bruno, then don't call him up! If you're going to call him up, then use him, or else he might as well stay here at Udinese and rest up for the club matches after the international breaks." To Guidolin, the Portuguese national team's handling of Bruno was nothing short of mismanagement, wasting his energy and fitness for no real purpose.
Guidolin felt compelled to take action. On October 18th, a report was published by the renowned Italian sports newspaper "Milan Sports". In an interview, Guidolin openly criticized Paulo Bento, the coach of the Portuguese national team. "A player of Bruno's talent deserves to be treated as a core member of the team," he told the journalist. "Bruno traveled around the world with the Portuguese national team, endured the fatigue of travel, and returned to the team without hesitation, willing to contribute to Portuguese football, not to sit on the bench for 350 minutes and only play garbage minutes."
"If you don't trust Bruno, don't call him up. Since you've called him, please respect such a talented player." Guidolin then added, knowing Portugal failed to secure a direct ticket to Brazil, "Now I see why Portugal isn't going to Brazil. Having such a super talent like Bruno and treating him this foolishly is simply criminal."
Guidolin's comments caused a stir in the Portuguese football scene. With Portugal failing to secure first in their group and thus a direct qualification to Brazil, there were already doubts about Bento's coaching capabilities. Now, prompted by Guidolin's remarks, many Portuguese fans realized Bento was underusing Bruno, a revelation that sat uncomfortably with many.
Supporters of Bruno in Portugal agreed with Guidolin; a talent like Bruno should be utilized more effectively, not just brought in for meaningless minutes. However, some fans disagreed, arguing that as a newcomer to the national team, it was prudent for Bento not to rely on him as a starter during critical matches, as it might disrupt the team's chemistry.
This minority view wasn't widely accepted, especially since the fact remained: Portugal was forced into a playoff for a World Cup spot due to a draw with Israel, a situation that occurred without Bruno's involvement.
In the midst of this controversy, Guidolin's comments from far away in Udine had caused a veritable earthquake in Portuguese football. Bento, unwilling to be publicly humiliated, didn't directly engage in a war of words with Guidolin, considering it beneath him to argue with what he saw as an inconsequential figure.
Bento first denied any conflict with Bruno, stating that sitting him on the bench was purely a tactical decision and not indicative of undervaluing him. He then completely ignored Guidolin in his responses.
Guidolin swiftly retorted: "All that talk, and it's all nonsense. I dare to make Bruno the absolute core of Udinese, and we're fourth in Serie A and tied for first in the Europa League group. You didn't use Bruno, and a strong Portugal got sidelined by Russia, missing direct qualification to Brazil. Tactical reasons? Laughable..."
Bento nearly laughed off the critique, brushing it aside as the rantings of a mad dog. He responded in an interview, "The job of the coach of the Portuguese national team is extremely important and comes with pressures and responsibilities that a small club coach can't possibly understand."
Guidolin fired back, "Udinese, consistently top five in Serie A, is a small team? That's an insult to Serie A!"
The media in both Portugal and Italy eagerly covered the exchange, with some media outlets stirring the pot and others vocally supporting Guidolin. The spectacle grew as each side continued to argue their points through the media.
Amidst this tumult, time passed quickly, and Udinese even played two more matches, including a Serie A round against AC Milan and a Europa League group match against Sevilla. In these games, Bruno vented his frustrations from the national team on the pitch, scoring twice against Milan and helping secure a crucial point against Sevilla, continuing to prove his worth and seemingly declaring to the world: "Paulo Bento, you were wrong!"
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