Oliver Glasner had criticised the US side's use of the Crystal Palace defender.placeholder image
Oliver Glasner had criticised the US side's use of the Crystal Palace defender. | Getty Images
Oliver Glasner will be pleased with news from United States boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Crystal Palace have been handed a boost with news that centre-back Chris Richards will not represent the United States national team over the coming international break to protect him from further injuries.
The 25-year-old is one of the first names on the Eagles teamsheet and has played every minute of the Premier League campaign so far. Richards is also one of the key figures in the United States squad and has featured in all of the nation’s last 10 fixtures.
With Crystal Palace’s involvement in Europe and domestic cup competitions too, it’s a heavy workload for Richards and Oliver Glasner had previously shared his frustration over the player playing two sets of 90 minutes in friendly matches for the United States in October.
Chris Richards left out of United States squad
It’s now been confirmed that Richards will not be part of the United States squad for upcoming fixtures against Paraguay and Uruguay. Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that is not due to injury, but to rest the player ahead of Crystal Palace’s busy festive fixture period.
Pochettino said: “The schedule for the next few months is going to be really busy. It wasn’t easy and we had a lot of discussions, but the priority always has to be the player.
“Chris Richards deserved not to be called and left with his club. After the camp in Denver, we decided not to call him. We already know his leadership on [impacts] the team, but the most important thing now is to provide him the possibility to play, to recover in his club and not to take risk.”
Pochettino had this week hit back at Glasner for criticising his use of Richards. The Argentine argued that Glasner did not understand the complexities of being a national team boss but sympathised with the busy Premier League schedule - Pochettino has previously worked at Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
Mauricio Pochettino responds to Oliver Glasner criticism
Pochettino told talkSPORT: "It's difficult for the coaches, I think, because it happened to me in the past. When you are a head coach in a club, you are always egoist, you don't think about the national team or sometimes you believe that you have the right to say things that are not right.
“I think we managed very well the situation that you are asking me about Richards. We played him because he was ready to play and he didn't suffer any issue with that. I think it's the coaches in the clubs, they need to understand that the players want to play for the national team.
“We have only this window to prepare for the World Cup. These are not friendly games for me when you play for the national team. It's about playing for more things, not only playing a game because you defend your flag."
That came after Glasner said last month: “My only complaint is the U.S. team didn’t talk to us because Chris was struggling with his calf for many weeks. We talked to them and said he should rest as they were just friendlies. But they played him twice, every single minute. That’s a little bit disappointing. On the other side, we’ve tried to manage his minutes here."
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