Nicolas Tagliafico Admits He Was Intentionally Dropped By Lyon

Argentina star Nicolas Tagliafico has acknowledged that he was benched for Lyon’s match against Clermont Foot after he attended Argentina’s Rugby World Cup semi-finals clash with New Zealand. Tagliafico’s absence from the match was initially attributed to the short turnaround following his performance for Argentina during the most recent international break.

The Argentine has now corroborated the French daily L’Equipe’s claims that Lyon manager Fabio Grosso left Tagliafico out because he was present for Argentina’s Rugby World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand on Friday. Tagliafico wrote on Instagram:

“We spoke about it with the manager and he decided not to play me. Of course, I accepted that. He also told me that he didn’t like me going to watch the rugby match on the Friday afternoon that we had off. I respect him and the most important thing is to stay united and strong. Lots of people know my commitment to the teams that I play in. I’ll continue to give everything every day, as always.”

Without Tagliafico, who partnered with Lionel Messi as Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, Lyon fell to Clermont Foot 2-1. Since taking over as head coach of Les Gones in the middle of September, Grosso has failed to record a victory.

Lyon is currently occupying the lowest position in Ligue 1 as a result of their defeat to their opponents from Rhone-Auvergne.When Lyon plays Marseille on Sunday, Tagliafico is poised to make his comeback to the lineup.