Chile icon Marcelo Salas has hit out at critics of Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa, insisting he is ‘one of the best’.
Bielsa has found himself under a little bit of pressure this season, with Leeds struggling at the beginning of their second season in the Premier League.
While there is no doubt about his future at Elland Road, or even much criticism from those inside it, the Argentine’s detractors have again been out in force.
It’s a familiar story for Bielsa, who is a manager who firmly splits opinion right down the middle when it comes to those who’ve worked with him.
While there are plenty who believe him to be a genius of the game and up there with the best, there are also those who will happily dismiss his methods and label him a fraud.
Salas is one of the former, though, and had stern words for anyone who wants to criticise the Leeds boss.
“The tactical part that he gave to this generation was fundamental to achieve what was achieved because, in the end, he ordered you,” he told Tribuna Andes magazine, relayed by Infobae.
“Beyond changing your head, which everyone likes to talk about changing your mentality, what Bielsa did is that he gave you order on the pitch.
“He gave you weapons because to all the good things we are, he gave the other part, the physical part, to play and attack without fear.
“In other words, when they say that Bielsa left nothing, it’s because you didn’t have him or you’re out of your mind.
“For me (Bielsa) is one of the best coaches I had. I came from Europe, from being with Lippi and an hour of tactics, from Eriksson, another hour of tactics, with the movement here and there.
“So for me, it wasn’t something new, but if you have to evaluate a coach by his work, he was one of the best. He left me a lot, I learned a lot.”
