Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been the curator of many great coaches over the course of his extensive managerial career, but who did he look up to? That has been revealed by The Athletic’s Phil Hay…
What’s been said?
The Argentine has been in charge of 12 different clubs, both on a domestic and international scale, over the past 30 years.
As a result, the likes of former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, City chief Pep Guardiola and Atletico Madrid stalwart Diego Simeone have all learned from him and gone on to forge their own successful careers.
Speaking in a recent Q&A with supporters, Hay revealed that Louis van Gaal, ex-Manchester United and Barcelona manager, was someone he avidly followed and modelled some of his style upon.
He said:
European influences
Bielsa is a massive cult hero at the club, even despite achieving anything of note in terms of silverware or glory, but that’s the sort of mantra that has followed him throughout his career as a team’s top dog.
He’s never even won a trophy in Europe having been in charge of Atletic Bilbao, Marseille, Lazio and Lille before coming to west Yorkshire, yet the names mentioned above all laud him for his impact to the game.
The 64-year-old’s famous tactical system goes way beyond that of the modern-era tiki-taka quick passing possession methods or the yesteryear, more direct, long-ball ploy.
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Every single detail on the pitch during a match has been worked on during training. It involves a high-energy press as well as a combination of the two forms of philosophy above.
Bielsa’s Bilbao once played Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils off the park at Old Trafford, winning the game 3-2.
So, it’s no surprise to see another ex-incumbent in Manchester, van Gaal, be mentioned as an influence – he was another manager who had everything down to the tiniest element.
>A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?
AND in other news, Leeds could have been four points better off if Bielsa did this…
