Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United
El Loco
Marcelo Bielsa has coached all over the world to great effect, with perhaps his crowning jewel as a coach being Argentina’s triumph at the 2004 Olympics. He has also wielded significant influence within the modern game with Diego Simeone, Pep Guardiola and Pochettino all describing how his methods and career have influenced their own management styles. Joining Leeds United in 2018 he steered a side tipped for mid table at the start of the season to the playoffs. This year we have seen much of the same, and before COVID-19 disrupted the global football calendar, they sat atop the Championship table. Bielsa has sought to restore the club to its former glory, doing so with an attacking, exciting brand of football. What can we learn from his time at Leeds so far?
Arrival in the UK
Leeds set up in a 4-1-4-1, aiming to dominate possession of the ball with intricate passing. There has been an incorporation of a more direct style of play (suited to the intensely physical Championship), but the team remains wedded to its possession based play, playing out from the back more often than not. The centre backs slip to allow Kalvin Phillips (the defensive midfielder) to receive the ball having dropped deep. The team then seek to cut vertically through the opposition, through the lines. The fullbacks push up the pitch, creating overloads on the flanks. While the full backs stay wide, the wide midfielders are happy to drift to a more central position, finding space between the centre backs and fullbacks. Leeds press relentlessly aiming to profit from turnovers in possession while the opposition are still transitioning from attack to defence - this is similar to how Premier League heavyweights Liverpool and Manchester City seek to cut through a team upon regaining possession.
Bielsa came to a Leeds United that had churned through twelve managers in five years, and instilled a stability and belief in the club that had long since gone walkabout. Bielsa came to a side that were prepared for a mid table finish, and in his first season propelled them to within an inch of promotion to the Premier League - just how has he done it?
Pushing the limits
Undoubtedly, Bielsa asks a lot of his players. Rumours of the squad being kept at training until as late as 1930 are not unfounded, and he also reportedly instructed the squad to spend three hours picking up litter at the club’s training ground after finding out how long the average fan has to work to afford a ticket to Elland Road. The virtues of hard work do not go amiss in Bielsa’s vision for the club and he knows how hard he must make the players work for the team to perform - the coach’s preferred style of play places intense physical demands on the players and the training reflects this. Leeds midfielder Mateusz Klich describes a particular drill, aptly named ‘murderball’ in which players play 11v11 with no breaks in play. Llorente, who played under Bielsa at Athletic Club supposedly worked so hard during the 2011/12 season that he ruined his chances of playing at Euro 2012.
A player’s fitness is of utmost concern to Bielsa, and players' lives are regulated so as to maximize this. During Bielsa’s first pre-season with the club’s right-back Luke Ayling shed 4kg and by January, goalkeeper Jamaal Blackman had lost around 9kg. Players are required to be able to play a pressing style for 90 minutes in a congested league that demands a team play 46 league matches a season. How did a team that finished in the bottom half of the Championship in 2017/18 come to sit atop the Championship table by Christmas of the next season? It certainly wasn’t big spending, as the only outlay was £7 million on Patrick Bamford (offset by the sale of Ronaldo Vieira to Sampdoria). A motivated, fit squad is a far more likely explanation for their renewed success combined, of course, with Bielsa’s tactical outlook.
Obsessive dedication
Bielsa demands only as much from his players as he demands from himself. The now infamous spygate revealed the lengths to which Bielsa would go to ensure his team's success. Rigorous examination of his opponent’s to find potential weaknesses to exploit place Bielsa’s teams in the perfect place to succeed, and succeed they have.
So what can we learn from his time at Leeds? An amazing coach had an immediate impact on results and breathed life into a former giant. A squad tipped for a relegation fight came within inches of promotion. Take from his approach what you will; he expects total dedication from his players, but this dedication has paid off. What you as a player can learn from his time at Leeds is that dedication and hard work will play off. If you are fitter than your opponent and are willing to fight for every ball you’re always in with a fighting chance.
What do you think of Marcelo Bielsa? Is he a tactical revolutionary, or simply as crazy as his nickname insists?