Bielsa does his homework
Marcelo Bielsa called an emergency press briefing today, in which he addressed the issue of spy-gate, giving a detailed powerpoint presentation to a room full of journalists on how he prepares to face opponents.
In the briefing, he admitted that he ‘observes all rivals’ before they play them, before going on to reiterate that he had done nothing illegal by sending someone to observe Derby’s training, though that did not make it ‘right’.
During his presentation, Bielsa recalled one occasion that he came up against Pep Guardiola, when they were managing Athletic Club and Barcelona respectively.
The two teams met in the Copa del Rey final which took place at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium. Bielsa had done well to reach the final, especially when you consider their policy of only signing players from the Basque region.
Bielsa today told the room that he showed Guardiola his analysis of Barcelona that he had compiled before the match. It was so thorough and so detailed that Guardiola said ‘you know more about Barcelona than me’, so impressed was he by Bielsa’s level of preparation.
Bielsa continued: “But it was useless information because they scored three goals.”
Losing that final 3-0 was not a disgrace by any stretch. If anything, Guardiola’s reaction to Bielsa’s preparation, and the scoreline, is testament to the unbelievable quality of that Barça side.
Great story. Bielsa says he showed Guardiola his analysis after Bilbao lost to Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey final. "Guardiola had a look at it and he told me 'you know more about Barcelona than me'. But it was useless information because they scored three goals." #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) January 16, 2019
