The most exciting coach in world football

His love for the smallest football details makes the Argentine a unique character and mentor to many, not least to some of the world's best coaches: Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino saw his compatriot as a "father figure". Pep Guardiola called him "the best coach in the world" during a game between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao in 2012, adding: "Every game his team plays is like a gift for the fans."

Bielsa kisses a club that was thought “dead” awake A fallen giant: Leeds United is a big name in English club football - and not just because of its extreme rivalry with Manchester United. Alex Ferguson once claimed that the Elland Road stadium had one of the most intimidating atmospheres in European football. In 1992, the club from northern England won another championship title, and at the turn of the millennium they played in the Champions League - then financially nothing worked anymore. In 2004, Leeds were relegated from the Premier League and never returned. Since then, the number of coaching changes has been alarmingly close to the number of wins.

Marcelo Bielsa took over a team this summer that finished 13th in the Championship last season. “I would rather lose than cheat. I prefer beautiful football to pragmatic football,” said Bielsa at his inaugural PK in Leeds. “We want to follow our style. Play in the opponent’s half, dominate the opponent, don’t hit long balls,” explained Bielsa before the first league game.

There is suddenly football euphoria again in Leeds

Around five months later they are playing football the way everyone would like to play, said coach Paul Cook from league rivals Wigan Athletic. As a crowning moment, Leeds United have been the new league leaders in England's second division since their spectacular 3-2 win on Sunday against the actual promotion favorites Aston Villa. There were no major personnel changes in the squad in the summer. This development and the renewed euphoria at the traditional English club is entirely thanks to Bielsa, also known as “El Loco” (the crazy one). Only crazy people believed in the resurrection of this club. “El Loco” is a man possessed But Leeds United supporters don't just love Bielsa because of his playing philosophy or his success: in order to show the players how much their fans put up with for the club, the impulsive coach calculated how long a fan has to work on average to be able to afford the cheapest ticket. The result: three hours. Bielsa then had his players collect rubbish in the area around the training center for exactly that long. These are messages that resonate with the fans of a working class club (Leeds is an industrial city).

Bielsa is a “workaholic”: During his time as Chilean national coach, he once got up in the middle of the night and built fences at the edge of the training pitch to avoid journalists’ cameras and recording devices. But is he really as crazy as people say? “No, he’s even more insane,” said Bilbao striker Iker Muniaín in 2012. Previous career Bielsa led Argentina to Olympic victory in 2004 and later gave the Chilean national team a playing culture for what felt like the first time. Between 2011 and 2013, Bielsa shaped the most successful period in Athletic Bilbao's recent club history. In the meantime, however, his good reputation was somewhat lost: in July 2016 he was introduced as the new Lazio coach. Since, according to Bielsa, the club was unable to sign four players as promised, the Argentine resigned two days after his presentation in Rome. Marcelo Bielsa is no ordinary coach, he has his principles. He was released from OSC Lille on November 22, 2017 after the 13th matchday due to lack of success.

Marcelo Bielsa with Fernando Llorente during his time at Athletic Bilbao

Leeds United under Bielsa There is an anecdote from the first meeting between Leeds bosses and Bielsa in Buenos Aires in the spring. They wanted to know what the Argentine actually knows about the English Championship. Legend has it that Bielsa immediately began talking about the tactical orientations of a game between Burton Albion and Bolton Wanderers. He then named all the tactical formations these two clubs used throughout the season. And finally he did the same with every other Championship club - there are 24 of them. In a ten-hour discussion, the Argentine also described the tactics of the Leeds United team and gave details about every player from the first team right up to the U23s.

“El Loco” is always up for fun

“They gave us a lesson,” admitted manager Frank Lampard after Leeds beat his team (Derby County) 4-1. “It's amazing how quickly the players have adopted his philosophy. The team plays with a high proportion of ball possession, offensively, positively and incredibly fluidly. For as long as I can remember, Leeds have never played as well as they have this season,” said Lampard. As proof of this, Leeds have an average possession percentage of 65% this season and in only one game have Bielsa's men been on the ball less often than their opponents.

Bielsa may not have won many titles or coached the big clubs in his career - but his knowledge of the game, his passion, his strange team-building measures or his unique training, which many coaches learn from, make the 63-year-old perhaps the most exciting coach in world football. It would definitely be interesting to see how “El Loco” would fare in the Premier League if Leeds United were promoted.

GB Premier League International	SP	TV	P
1. Arsenal FC	30	72:24	68
2. Liverpool FC	29	67:27	67
3.Manchester City	30	67:29	67
4. Aston Villa	31	63:46	59
5.Tottenham	30	62:44	57
6. Manchester Utd.	29	40:40	48
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The most exciting coach in world football

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