When Ben Brereton Diaz first appeared on the scene for Chile, there was a great deal of excitement around him. That brought endless goodwill, with people intrigued to see this Stoke-on-Trent born forward turning out for the South American country.
He scored a few goals too, which obviously helped, but things have somewhat gone downhill. Argentine manager Ricardo Gareca took the Chile job in January, and the Southampton player hasn’t scored for the country since then.
Gareca came out and said Brereton Diaz needed to learn Spanish to be picked, but then moved to clarify his comments to say it was just a request rather than a demand or a condition of call-up.
However, it’s clear the manager isn’t the Southampton player’s biggest fan as there’s been a steady decline in minutes, and when Gareca does choose him it’s often as a winger.
Now there’s some in Chile who are starting to assemble in Brereton Diaz’s corner and fight for him.
One of those is Rodrigo Herrera, and BolaVIP quote the journalist as saying: “I don’t see any reason why the only striker we have in the best league in the world doesn’t have a place in the team, or why Ricardo Gareca’s problem is to place him where he belongs.
“I’m not asking him to play him as a 9, a 10, a 7, but rather that he finds the best place for him on the field, as Martín Lasarte did. We are losing a player who is not Van Basten, but is a guy who is important today.”
With the pressure growing in Chile to get the Southampton man on the pitch and in his correct position, it’s expected Gareca will fold and do so in the match against Bolivia tomorrow.
