DIA-STRAIGHTS
‘He killed him,’ fumes reporter as Southampton’s Brereton Diaz hauled off for Chile on 34 MINUTES… after 7,000-mile trip
The star was already dropped from the national team earlier this year
CHILE'S manager has been accused of "killing" Southampton's Ben Brereton Diaz after subbing him off just 34 minutes into a game.
The brutal switch came during Chile’s 2-1 loss to Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night.
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Given Russell Martin’s side has started the season with three Premier League defeats, it’s unlikely that many Southampton players are brimming with confidence.
And Diaz, 25, might return from international duty with his further shaken after making a 7,000-mile journey to play for Chile, only to be hauled off early for Vicente Pizarro.
It has been revealed the striker was withdrawn early due to his performance, not an injury.
Diaz has the support of Chilean journalist Rodrigo Herrerra who slammed national team manager Ricardo Gareca for the crushing home defeat to Bolivia.
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Herrerra told : “He killed him [Brereton Diaz]. I don’t understand, as much as he likes the scheme, as much as he considers it at best dispensable for whatever factor, I didn’t see either that the team improved so much with Vicente Pizarro’s entry.
“That he did show attitude, but killing a player of that calibre, the only striker, the only ‘9’ we had in the Premier League, wait until 45 minutes.”
Earlier in the year Diaz was dropped by Gareca - because he did not speak Spanish and could not communicate with his team-mates.
Diaz was born in Stoke to an English father and a Chilean mother.
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And despite representing England 19 times at youth level, the then Blackburn star earned a shock Chile call-up in 2021 when a group of fans spotted his dual heritage while playing Football Manager.
Meanwhile, fellow Chilean team-mate Arturo Vidal also reacted to Gareca's poor decision-making by swapping out Diaz.
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He said: "I don't understand the change. You have to take out Dávila or Osorio, who are bothering in the midfield. Ben is fine, in the one-on-one. I was looking for it well on the flanks."
Southampton paid Villarreal £7 million to sign the striker this summer after he impressed on loan at a poor Sheffield United side in the second half of last season.
Having scored six goals in 14 Premier League games at the Blades, Martin felt Diaz was the right man to bring some firepower to Southampton.
The Saints have lost all three of the Premier League games this season and have scored just one league goal which came in the 95th-minute of their 3-1 defeat to Brentford from Yukinari Sugawara.
Diaz is now one game away from setting an embarrassing record in the Premier League.
He is still waiting for a win after the 16 games he has played across spells with Sheffield United and Southampton.
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Only former Bolton and Burnley star Marvin Sordell went longer before tasting victory, as he went 17 without a win.
And a tough clash against Manchester United on Saturday at St Mary's will decide whether he will match Sordell's unwanted record.
Changes to the Premier League for 2024/25
NOTHING stays the same forever.
And that includes the Premier League, which is making a number of tweaks this season.
Team news will now be released 75 MINUTES before kick-off, 15 minutes earlier than had been the case before.
Things could get crowded on the touchline, with the number of substitutes permitted to warm-up boosted from three players per team to FIVE.
There's also a change to how added time is calculated when a team scores a goal, an update to the 'multiball' system and the introduction of semi-automated offsides - but not straight away.
Go here to read about all the changes to the Premier League for 2024/25.
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