Bielsa magic to sink Swansea
Former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa may be past it but so far his magic is working at Leeds who seek to extend their unbeaten record this season against Swansea tonight.
The cult of Marcelo Bielsa is fast taking hold in England, where the notorious former Argentina coach is seeking to revive an old giant and TAB
soccer customers need to decide whether he is going to keep up his winning start to a new job at Leeds tonight.
Bielsa is a source of inspiration to many of the top coaching names in world football, including Pepe Guardiola, and regarded as a brilliant, if maverick, innovator whose high-intensity approach to the game is something of a sink-or-swim exercise.
In more recent years, the progress of the game has caught up with his ideas and he has had little success, wearing down his teams with the intense physicality he demands instead of delivering trophies.
But Leeds United are hoping that his one-time brilliance might still brush off on them and he has made an immediate impact as the Elland Road side have won their opening three games of the Championship season, plus a League Cup clash.
Bielsa will take his 100 percent record to Swansea City tonight for a meeting between two unbeaten teams as he goes up against another coach with a glowing reputation.
The 43-year-old Graham Potter made his name in Sweden, where he guided Ostersund from the regional tiers to the top flight with three promotions, winning the Swedish Cup along the way. Last season they reached the group phase of the Europa League.
The former England under-21 international was appointed by Ostersund with no managerial experience, but with a vision to put his studies into practice, having completed a masters’ degree in leadership and emotional intelligence.
His more unusual methods garnered attention and a little amusement, like the annual theatrical show the players put on for the town which Potter said helped take them out of their comfort zone and trust each other.
Training involved working almost entirely with the ball on scenarios which might occur during the next match, and Potter tasked his players with solving the individual problems they were likely to face on the weekend.
Since he joined Swansea they have won their opening two games and drawn away at the weekend, making tonight’s match a contest between two inform outfits.