Bayern Munich have become the latest to hit out at Chile for their insistence on using injured players after Arturo Vidal was stretchered off in the game against Colombia but looks set to feature against Uruguay.
Arsene Wenger has already said that Chile’s decision to play Alexis Sanchez after the player picked up what was thought to be a hamstring tear is ‘suicidal’ while highlighting how it could cost Arsenal the player’s services for up to three months.
Wenger told beIN sports during the week, “I got a text last night [to say] that he has a hamstring injury. The team from Chile has travelled without him and they kept him to try and get him fit to play Uruguay for the second game on Tuesday night.
“I believe that with a hamstring injury we have to get access for our medical staff to the MRI scan to see what grade it is, how bad it is and make absolutely sure they don’t make any suicidal decision that could harm his future for two or three months.
“That is absolutely important. It’s a grey area between the national team and the club team and of course they look at their own results which I can understand but we have to preserve the health of Alexis Sánchez.
“He always wants to play and that’s where it is a more sensitive case because he’s always ready to play even when injured.”
It seems like Vidal comes from the same stock as Alexis. Both are players unable to refuse minutes on the pitch, risking lengthy layoffs by refusing to take it easy when their body is telling them to stop.
Speaking to the press, Bayern Munich’s chief exec, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, said, “Bayern Munich are very worried about Arturo Vidal’s health.
“We urge the Chilean Football Association to deal with the situation responsibly and sensibly. It should be a given that the player’s health is a top priority.”
With the money involved in club football these days it does seem like it’s only a matter of time before the whole issue of club v country comes to a head. It’s one thing requiring players be released for competitive games, but to insist the play umpteen friendlies (we are in the third month of the season and this is the third international break) is just ridiculous.
While national teams need games to ensure their teams can be competitive there simply must be a better way than playing friendlies on top of qualifiers in the middle of an already packed domestic season. This isn’t quite the case with Chile’s next match – it is a World Cup qualifier – but that isn’t so for the majority of teams. After already losing Hector Bellerin, Arsene Wenger has asked France to spare Laurent Koscielny from their upcoming friendly with an eye on Manchester United at the weekend.
Manchester City’s Claudio Bravo also picked up an injury while with Chile (hip) in the game against David Ospina’s Colombia on Thursday evening, as did Bayer Leverkusen’s Charles Aranguiz.