Marcelo Bielsa
‘Yes, he was’: Bielsa gushes over Leeds man who was ‘very influential’ vs Burnley
Marcelo Bielsa has showered praise on young Pascal Struijk after Leeds United secured a 1-0 win against Burnley on Sunday at Elland Road. The 21-year-old has featured often this season and has done relatively well. He was a surprise inclusion in the Leeds squad against Burnley, with Bielsa giving him a chance to impress in the absence of Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente. The Dutchman produced a commanding performance at the back but Leeds did just enough to pick up an important win. The makeshift three-man defence of Struijk, Luke Ayling and Kalvin Phillips were put on pressure thoroughly, with Leeds riding on luck at times. Patrick Bamford’s goal in the early stages of the match proved to be the deciding factor between the two sides. He was strong in the air, made some good clearances ...
‘It seems churlish’: Many Leeds fans react to what Bielsa has said today
Leeds United will face Burnley in the Premier League clash on Sunday. The Whites will be looking to bounce back from the heavy 6-2 defeat suffered against bitter rivals Manchester United in the previous game. Marcelo Bielsa’s side has now lost three games in their last four matches, and Leeds’ style of football has generated a lot of attention in the press recently. Ahead of the game, Bielsa was asked to comment on whether he prefers style over results, the Argentine has given a lengthy reply. You can read the entire speech here. The Leeds boss has spoken about various aspects of the game against United, and how the narrative has been falsely circulated about them. Bielsa feels that the analysis of the game hasn’t been accurate, and admitted that he couldn’t anticipate beforehand how influ...
‘Blown away’: Rio Ferdinand delivers verdict on ‘unbelievable’ Leeds man
Former Leeds United defender turned popular football pundit, Rio Ferdinand, has hailed Marcelo Bielsa as an ‘unbelievable’ coach. Leeds lost 6-2 against their bitter rivals Manchester United on Sunday, and Ferdinand has claimed that he didn’t expect such a scoreline. He has suggested that Bielsa won’t change his philosophy, but at the same time has expressed his surprise that at Leeds’ defeat at Old Trafford. Leeds came to Old Trafford on the back of a 5-2 victory against Newcastle United, and then received a taste of their own medicine on Sunday. Their expansive style of football may have played in the hands of United, which raises eyebrows about how Leeds approach things under the Argentine boss. In fact, several pundits have discussed and at times criticised about how Leeds approached t...
Predicted Leeds United starting XI vs Man Utd: Bielsa delivers team news, 26 y/o to miss out
Leeds United will travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Sunday, and you can watch this and other Premier League games live online. Kick-off: 16:30 GMT Tv Info: The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event. The Whites are set to resume their fierce rivalry with Manchester United in the Premier League after sixteen long years, and it seems like an eternity. The two clubs share a bitter and intense rivalry. The transfers of Rio Ferdinand and Alan Smith from Leeds to Manchester United in the past added further animosity between the two clubs. However, things have changed a lot since the last time Leeds faced United in the league. The Whites are now a newly-promoted side trying to find their feet under a top-class manager in Marcelo Biels...
‘Really disappointing’, ‘I just don’t agree’: Some Leeds fans react to what Bielsa said after defeat
Leeds United suffered a 2-1 defeat against West Ham in the Premier League clash at Elland Road on Friday night. It was a lacklustre performance from the home side, and the Hammers deserve the credit for securing all three points after coming from behind. The victory has taken them to fifth in the league table. Bielsa took off Jack Harrison and Ezgjan Alioski on the break. It looked like a smart decision, although Helder Costa hardly had any impact after coming on. In the 74th minute, Bielsa took off Patrick Bamford, and he was replaced by Tyler Roberts. It left many Leeds fans puzzled as to why Bielsa didn’t use Pablo Hernandez when the Spaniard was available on the bench. After the match, the Argentine explained that he wanted Roberts to play up front. Roberts failed to make an...
Andre-Villas Boas: Marcelo Bielsa’s nomination for The Best FIFA Coach award ‘scandalous’
Marseille boss Andre-Villas Boas has taken a swipe at Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa’s nomination for The Best FIFA Coach Award. The Argentine has joined a five-match shortlist that also includes Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, Sevilla’s Julen Lopetegui and Bayern Munich’s Champions League-winning coach Hansi Flick. Bielsa was at the helm as Leeds returned to the top flight of the English game for the first time in 2004, but Villas-Boas has suggested that these achievements pale into comparison with other coaches who have been overlooked. “Bielsa? Bielsa has to win a prestigious trophy,” he told the media on Friday. “But he’s not among the best five coaches in the world in 2020. It’s a scandal. He won the Championship!” Villas-Boas, who risks provoking the M...
Leeds, Liverpool managers shortlisted for FIFA men’s coach of the year
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp have been named on the five-man shortlist for FIFA men’s coach of the year. World football’s governing body has released the shortlist for its seven individual awards to be presented at The Best FIFA Football Awards on December 17. Bielsa was an eye-catching inclusion on the five-strong shortlist for Best FIFA Men’s Coach, with the Championship-winning manager named alongside Hansi Flick, Julen Lopetegui, Zinedine Zidane and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. Future England manager Sarina Wiegman has been shortlisted for the women’s coach award along with Emma Hayes, who has three of her Chelsea players shortlisted for women’s player of the year. Ji So-yun, Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder are joined on the shortlist by Manchester C...
Predicted Leeds starting line-up vs Crystal Palace I TV info I Live stream
Leeds United will travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, and you can watch this game and other Premier League games live online. The Whites have picked up just one win in their last four games, and are heading into this match on the back of a 4-1 defeat against Leicester City. Kick-off: 15:00 pm Tv info: The match is on BT Sport Box Office. The pay-per-view channel can be found on set-top boxes (BT channel 494, Sky 490 and Virgin TV). Leeds are missing several key players for this game, but Marcelo Bielsa’s side have shown they can score away from home. Goalkeeper: Despite the fact that Illan Meslier conceded 13 goals in seven matches already, he has hardly put any foot wrong, and therefore he is an obvious starter. D...
Mauricio Pochettino opens door to Premier League return
Mauricio Pochettino says he is ready to return to management, almost a year after he was sacked by Tottenham. The Argentine’s enthusiasm will no doubt intensify speculation linking him with replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager of Manchester United. Pressure has begun to mount on Solskjaer at Old Trafford in recent months, with United currently 15th in the Premier League table. After taking Spurs to the Champions League final, Pochettino has been linked with a number of top jobs including those at Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. However, after six years in England, Pochettino seems keen to return to the Premier League. “I discovered an amazing people in this country, an amazing culture. I am in love,” Pochettino said on Sky Sports. “I was always ready to be involved in t...
Predicted Leeds starting line-up vs Aston Villa
Leeds United will travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa in the Premier League clash on Friday night. The Whites will be looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat against Wolves, but the task won’t be easy as Villa are in red-hot form at the moment, winning in all of the Premier League games. Here is the team we expect Bielsa to select for the game: Goalkeeper: Illan Meslier has started in all the Premier League games for Leeds this season, and he is expected to continue between the sticks. Defence: Bielsa has a selection headache at the back following the injuries to Diego Llorente and Liam Cooper. Summer signing Llorente has been ruled out, while Leeds are sweating on the fitness of Cooper. In case he fails to make the cut, Bielsa will have to shuffle his defence. The ver...
Marcelo Bielsa says Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish ‘very good player’
Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has raved about Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jack Grealish, as quoted in Leeds Live. Grealish, who can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger, is set to start for Villa in their Premier League game against Leeds at Villa Park in the Premier League on Friday evening. Ahead of the match, Bielsa has spoken highly of the England international, and believes that the 25-year-old is going to grow as a player. Leeds Live quotes Bielsa as saying about Grealish: “He’s a very good player. It’s normal for a player once he’s been called up for the national team that he’s going to be confident and grow.” Jack Grealish is on fire Grealish has been superb for Villa so far this season, and has played an important role in Dean Smith’s side winning all fo...
Leeds boss kicks against fans returning to stadiums
Marcelo Bielsa has demanded Premier League chiefs block fans returning to grounds until all 20 top-flight clubs can reopen their turnstiles. Under the new Covid tier system, half of Premier League clubs will still not be allowed supporters from Wednesday, while the other ten can have 2,000. Leeds are in Tier 3 and must keep fans locked out – with boss Bielsa saying: “If fans are not allowed in all stadiums, then they should not be allowed until everyone can. “Clubs shouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of being in a category. It should be about trying to maintain the competition as equally as possible.” Arsenal will become the first Prem team to welcome fans back since March when they host Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday. While West Ham’s Prem clash with Manchester Uni...