This is classic Bielsa
Leeds United kick off their Championship campaign against Stoke City tomorrow with a fresh sense of optimism borne from the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa, the pioneer of much of the modern attacking football we see today.
It was a bold appointment, one that could quite easily backfire if Bielsa’s physical and tactical demands are too much for a Championsip squad. But it could just as easily prove to be a stroke of genius.
Having spent 14 years outside the Premier League and come tantalisingly close to the play-offs on several occasions, they had to roll the dice.
And roll the dice they did. Bielsa’s tactical blueprint may be the inspiration behind Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino’s playing styles, but his managerial career has been one of countless ups and downs. He is intense, eccentric, innovative and stubborn, as shown by one of his first actions as Leeds boss.
As reported by David Hytner in the Guardian, upon arriving at Leeds, Bielsa wanted to know how many hours’ work it took the average Leeds fan to earn the money to watch the team play. After some rough calculations, the answer given to him was three. And that was it; he then made his squad pick up litter from around the training ground for three hours to teach the players a lesson in appreciating the hard work their fans put in just to be able to support them on a Saturday.
It is an unorthodox technique in building squad cohesion but Bielsa has never been conventional. It’s this sort of humbling experience that could inspire that extra bit of hunger among the squad to get them over the line in tough situations.
Leeds face a tough test against Stoke in their opening game, and it’s hard to know what to expect from the, but there is one guarantee: we will be entertained.
