Bielsa's Back B*tches
Milan is now blue, City have just left Madrid vulnerable and exposed at the Ethiad, and across the pond (the one that separates elite European clubs from International futbol) the Uruguayan national team have found themselves a new coach. His name is Marcelo Bielsa.
You may remember him from his time at Leeds, last seen crouching, scowling and exhaling hot fire. Glasses on, he analyzes the numerical advantages, the tempered egos, and every blade of grass that fosters the game of futbol.
So who the **** is he?
Meticulous. Endearing. Passionate.
These are the words that Leeds forward, Patrick Bamford, uses to describe “El Loco,” Marcelo Bielsa. Yet he is so much more. The Argentinian grandfather of futbol, married to the game, he is committed as much to the club, as he is to player’s souls.
The amount of detail and depth Bielsa uncovers in the coaching game is one component that separates him from the others. Yes, that’s in reference to tactics, but also off the field operations. While it may be true that no one watches more football than Bielsa, he approaches futbol in terms of a culture assignment. For example, before he accepted the Leeds job, he stayed for months in pubs and cafes in the English town, reading the paper, speaking with people.
Everyone considers him one of the greats, except of course for, Marcelo Bielsa himself. He used his recent interview with the Athletic, to point out that he has never coached with one of the “20 big clubs,” and therefore, shouldn’t be in the conversation of the greats. That’s Bielsa. Humble.
He continues, “Football is about the people and the players, he said, then, there are those who will mingle in the middle, the coaches, executives, and journalists.”
I believe Bielsa has the capacity to enhance an identity, pump it full of steroids, and nurture it to become great. Whatever the metrics of greatness may be. Out-strategized in the final rounds of the premier league, he has been without a job for a year. Yet, it sounds like he has kept busy in his year off with studying what is new in the game. In fact, his resume with the Chilean national team, and his old school managerial approach may be exactly what Uruguay needs.
