For some reason, this week is the week everyone has decided to write about or comment on Marcelo Bielsa, the current Leeds United manager.
On Monday, it was France Football who did a big exposé on the Argentinian manager, looking at how his success at Elland Road compared to his time with some of his previous teams.
A dramatic exit at Marseille after a promising first season and a failed time at Lille is what he’s remembered for in France, but things are very different in his home country, where most seem to revere him.
Among those is Carlos Borrello, current manager of Argentina women’s national team, who spoke to Telam about his inspirations, among which are the Leeds manager.
He said: “Bielsa, for me, is the greatest there is. I have all the work he’s done since he was at Atlas in Mexico. I like what he does. I remember when I was the CeNARD (the National Centre of High Performance Athletics) and I was walking to the River field to see the national team matches in qualifiers.
“That 2001 team was a machine, but because of a draw or a ball that hit the post, he was left with nothing. That’s how he got knocked out of the World Cup (they finished third in Group F in 2002) and it seems to me that people were unfair to him”.
Bielsa stayed on until 2004, after which it took him three years to find himself a new job when Chile’s national team came knocking in 2007.
The only thing Borrello regrets is that he’s never managed to have a chat with Bielsa.
He added: “I really wanted to sit with him, until it gets dark, because I’m a fan of Bielsa and football, but I didn’t get the chance”.
