Bielsa-ball’s Premier League bow
It is hard to think of a more eagerly anticipated promotion to the Premier League than Leeds United’s. Their long journey back to the top flight has been well documented, and their return was always bound to attract significant spotlight. What might not have been expected, however, was that that spotlight would be focused so closely on one man – manager, Marcelo Bielsa.
The former Newell’s Old Boys boss is Leeds’ 15th manager since their relegation from the Premier League in 2004. He has the best win rate in the club’s history; better even than the great Don Revie, although whether he can maintain that record in the top flight remains to be seen.
There is a contradiction to Bielsa’s arrival in the Premier League: he is simultaneously one of the most respected and influential coaches in world football, while also something of an unknown force in the English game. Before arriving at Elland Road, he was last seen on English soil when his Athletic Bilbao side tore Manchester United apart on the way to the 2012
Europa League final, yet he didn’t cross the radar of some pundits until his infamous “spy-gate” run-in with Frank Lampard and Derby County in 2018-19.
Nobody really knows what to expect from Bielsa and Leeds. His last top-flight experience was in France, where he was sacked by Lille in 2017. But if Leeds fall short, it will be not for a lack of effort from their manager.
While top-flight managers often speak of the need to find time to get away from the game, this is an alien concept to the former Argentina boss. Bielsa consumes an extraordinary amount of football in his pursuit of every scrap of detail about his opponents. According to The Athletic, when Leeds faced Forest Green Rovers in his first preseason game, he requested footage of the League Two side’s previous three games – all friendlies against local non-league sides.
He completes a forensic analysis of all his opponents to uncover any weaknesses, yet combines this with a commitment to his own style of play, built on relentless pressing and overwhelming movement off the ball. He insists that his players have the physical fitness to maintain maximum intensity and the tactical understanding to implement his plans.
With such demands upon his teams, fatigue has often been cited as a factor in his failings, and so it was for Leeds in his first year in Yorkshire. Top of the table on New Year’s Day, they only won half of their remaining games before suffering a meltdown against Derby in the play-offs. Cracks appeared in the middle of last season too, but a long mid-season break was certainly to their advantage – when the league resumed they won seven out of nine.
Progressing to a league with fewer matches will be a welcome change for the Leeds players, and it is likely to be the same group that Bielsa has worked with for the last two years.
It has far proven extremely difficult to integrate new players into his style, which is why he is keen to make only a couple of additions.
Whether or not they have the quality to handle the step-up, there will be no shortage of entertainment at Elland Road. Several of Leeds’ fixtures are positively mouth-watering, with some fascinating rivalries to renew.
Their clashes with Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United in 2018-19, who pipped them to promotion, were thrilling affairs, while their last meeting with Aston Villa was mired in drama. Leeds allowed Villa to score following a controversial goal, though that was nothing compared to the spat with Lampard. His presence on the Chelsea bench will add to what is already a significant rivalry, though not as great as the one with Manchester United, who remain Leeds’ most hated opponents. It will be fascinating to see how Bielsa measures up against the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, and Jose Mourinho, while he has already faced Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in last season’s FA Cup.
The spotlight then will remain on the man from Rosario. His first tilt at England’s top flight is not to be missed.
Bielsa is simultaneously one of the most respected and influential coaches in world football, while also something of an unknown force in the English game