BIELSA IS ONE OF PEP’S ‘IDOLS’ AND HE RECALLED AN 11-HOUR TALK THAT FIRED THE CITY BOSS’S DESIRE TO BE A COACH...

AND THE REST IS HISTORY

MARCELO BIELSA admits he never imagined Pep Guardiola would create “the best team in history” at Barcelona when he first met him.

Guardiola was winding down his playing career with Mexican side Dorados de Sinaloa when he travelled 5,000 miles for an audience with Bielsa at his ranch in Argentina in 2006.

They spent 11 hours talking football, using chairs to act out moves and Bielsa’s computer to Google answers to settle arguments.

The meeting confirmed

G u a r d i o l a’s a mb i t i o n to become a coach, even though Bielsa warned it would cost him “blood”.

Although Bielsa was struck by Guardiola’s passion as they talked over a BBQ, he never thought he would have such a glittering career as a coach.

“Who could have imagined he could have been so successful?” said the Leeds head coach. “Nobody could have said this person, as intelligent as he is, is going to create the best football team in the world.

“We spoke about football and what we spoke about made me t h i n k h e wa s someone who really thought about f o o t b a l l .” B i e l s a experienced at first hand how good Barcelona were under Guardiola when he took over at Athletic Bilbao in 2011.

Their last meeting was in the 2012 Copa del Rey Final when Barcelona put three past Athletic in the first 25 minutes to win 3-0 in Guardiola’s last game in charge and Bielsa remembers they were almost impossible to play against.

“The memories I have are Barcelona managed to neutralise our attempts to impose ourselves,” said the

Argentinian . “Anyone who faced Barcelona in those four years, everyone would probably give you the same answer.

“There are many people who think that was probably the best team in history.”

The pair will be reunited at Elland Road this evening and Bielsa dismissed talk of being Guardiola’s mentor, despite the Manchester City boss calling him one of his “idols.”

The humble Bielsa claims Guardiola is his own man, even if th e y b oth passionat ely believe in playing a highenergy, high-pressing style of possession football.

He believes “without doubt” that Guardiola could take a

MUTUAL ADMIRATION Bielsa and Guardiola have huge respect for each other’s coaching methods mid-table Championship side into the Premier League as he has done with Leeds.

“I do not feel like a mentor to Guardiola,” said Bielsa. “He’s a manager who is independent in his ideas and that’s not just because I say so, his teams play like no other teams.

“He’s imaginative, able to instantly create solutions to problems. Another thing that distinguishes him as a top coach is what he proposes he’s able to implement.

“If you praise someone, it’s important to argue why rather than just praise them through empathy and I don’t know too many coaches who would also be deserving of this.”

He is independent in his ideas, his teams are like no other teams