PHILLIPS RETURNS FOR A TACTICAL DUEL BETWEEN PAIR OF GOLDEN OLDIES
THEY are the Premier League’s oldest managers with a combined 59 years in the job at 23 clubs and
LEEDS UTD V EVERTON 3PM with two national teams in 11 countries.
Yet today at Elland Road will be the first time Marcelo Bielsa and Rafa Benitez have met.
The pair differ in substance and style. Bielsa is a coaching idealist while Benitez is a pragmatist and astute tactician, whose greatest skill is negating superior opponents.
He has won the Champions League, Europa League, FIFA Club World Cup, La Liga, the FA Cup and Italian Cup.
Bielsa does not come close in terms of trophies and perhaps the Argentinian’s greatest impact has been influencing Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and Diego Simeone.
“What makes him [Benitez] successful is that he has very compact teams which are very difficult to beat,” said Bielsa, 66.
“Also he is able to get the maximum possible from players.”
Benitez, 61, has already made a mark at Everton, with more crosses coming
into the box in Saturday’s win over Southampton, even though he has been able to do little business in the transfer market.
Bielsa said: “There haven’t been big changes.
“The players are basically the same, apart from the two wide players they brought in. The only changes I expect from last season is for his team to be efficient, strong and hard to beat.”
Bielsa wants Leeds to atone for the 5-1 drubbing at Manchester United.
He is boosted by the return of Kalvin Phillips after leaving him on the bench at Old Trafford because he felt he lacked match fitness.
Leeds badly missed his bite in midfield but Phillips has worked hard in training this week and Bielsa feels he is ready. “Another week of work means physically he’s better and he’s closer to being in the team,” the Argentinian added. DAVID ANDERSON RAFA BENITEZ
61 1,149 49.3