The only national representative in the Premier League is lagging behind. As well as losing his starting place at Southampton, he even appeared in the club’s under-21 team a few weeks ago. This panorama is completed by the fact of having been removed from the national team, by decision of Ricardo Gareca. He hasn’t scored a goal in six months.
When the permanence of Ben Brereton Diaz in the Premier League, this was seen as good news. A priori, for a Chilean player, participating in the most competitive and attractive league in the world was an encouraging event, in a context where national representation in the elite has been dangerously reduced. The 25-year-old striker has signed a four-year contract with Southampton, a long-term contract to permanently settle in the country in which he was born.
But this story changed over the months. From the expectation of having a team playing the best in the world every weekend and transferring that to the national team; He began to be relegated, with the result being greater discomfort. Being deleted by Ricardo Gareca de la Roja is a sign (plus the iconic image of his substitution in the first half against Bolivia) . And that he also recently appeared playing for Soton’s youth team. Ben Brereton is going through a rough patch.
The Stoke-on-Trent native joined the Saints after terminating his contract with letter owners Villarreal. The Chilean-English never adapted to Spanish football whether because of the language barrier or the zigzagging path of the Castellón team in the first part of the 2023-2024 season, with constant changes of coach. His loan to Sheffield United allowed the striker to have consistency, score goals and re-evaluate himself in a high-level competition, despite relegation to the Championship.
In the Yellow Submarine, which he joined as a free agent, he played 20 matches, including only six starts, and scored no goals in 569 minutes played (average of 28.5′ per match ). With curiosity, This ultimately proved to be a good deal for the Spanish team as they benefited financially from his sale to Southampton. The operation involved an amount close to 8 million euros (nearly 9 million US dollars). Expectations regarding its incorporation were high. And he started well, scoring in a friendly against Lazio.
Little by little, Brereton’s journey at his current club became more complicated. Well, that’s in line with Soton, a Premier-promoted club, who are coming off one win in 10 games. The former Blackburn player played 390 minutes in six league matches, including four starts. His last appearance in the local championship was on September 30, starting the second half in the defeat against Bournemouth. Against Arsenal on October 5, he remained on the bench. In the following two matches, he was not called (against Leicester, October 19, and against Manchester City, Saturday 26). This Saturday, he was called up again, against Everton, but he remained on the bench.
A sign that raised the alarm was that appeared while playing in the Saints Under 21 . It was Friday October 25 against Crystal Palace for Premier League 2, the reserve championship. His presence in that match automatically ruled him out as an alternative in the clash against City the following day, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. From being a starter in the most attractive league, to ending up being demoted to the youth team.
The good news is that after almost a month he was active again midweek in the team managed by Russell Martin. It happened on Tuesday, entering (in the 68th minute) the qualification for the quarter-finals of the League Cup. .
The drought
To date, Ben Brereton Díaz’s record at Southampton shows eight matches (between the Premier and the League Cup) and scored no goals. The striker’s weak presence is also linked to the drought he shows, both at club level and in the national team.
It’s been six months without a conversion. The last official goal dates back to May 4, with the Sheffield United jersey, against Nottingham Forest. Referring only to his performances for La Roja, it is even more profound and worrying. The Chilean-Englishman has not scored for the All-Team since June 16, 2023, when he scored a hat-trick in the friendly match against the Dominican Republic. when Eduardo Berizzo was still coach of the national team.
When he first arrived in the red and white team, coach Martin highlighted him. “He is a versatile and intelligent footballer, capable of playing in different advanced positions. “He is a strong, powerful runner and a confident finisher with a good score,” he said after finalizing his signing. A few months later, the panorama changed.
This can be extrapolated to La Roja. Although Gareca recently admitted that he is a player he likes, he once again withdrew his services for the double meeting against Peru and Venezuela.
Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
