HE’S FOOTBALL CRAZY

by Aston Villa. “So my work is never finished. My idea is I’d like to achieve perfection. Is that the road to insanity? Many coaches are a bit crazy and I think I might be one of the craziest.

“When I say crazy, I mean what you want to give your players, the importance of your work in your life. In this case, football. The vision of your work.

“Bielsa lives for his work and me too. It’s very close to an obsession.”

De Zerbi stayed for a week with

Bielsa when the Argentinian was in charge of Lille in 2017.

He appreciated the “passion” the former Leeds coach has for the game and for treating him as an equal.

“Like I was Van Gaal or Mourinho, but I wasn’t Van Gaal and I wasn’t Mourinho,” he recalled.

De Zerbi also visited and learned from Guardiola at Manchester City at the start of the season.

“Pep was fantastic with me, like Bielsa,” added the 43-year-old.