It’s no secret that Leeds United’s Marcelo Bielsa is one of the most respected managers in Argentina, especially among younger coaches.
And Mauricio Pochettino, who’s also been working in England for the past few years, has some special reasons to admire his work.
Besides being trained by Bielsa at the national team, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss grew up at Newells’ Old Boys, the club who have their stadium named after the Leeds manager.
Pochettino was interviewed by Pasion Celeste’s Maco Caffa at the weekend. On a live chat on the Instagram, he was asked about the influence Bielsa had on him and on the other Argentine coaches of his generation.
The quotes are brought by Olé, and since Pasion Celeste is a small outlet from Pochettino’s hometown of Murphy, the website even had to explain that to their Argentine readers.
“Bielsa was an inspiration. He made us love football, motivated us to be able to follow this path as coaches. It was that, an inspiration for many of us who were led by him,” said Mauricio Pochettino.
“What happens is that we live in a success-oriented society where winning for many people is almost the only thing and what matters. The processes and everything else are in the background.
“I wasn’t lucky to work with Bilardo and Menotti but having won the 78 and 86 World Cups, make both of them benchmarks for having won titles of such magnitude. It’s true that Marcelo could be included. Bielsa’s main asset is having created something different from Bilardo and Menotti. He may be a bit in the middle.
“It could be that he’s in a situation neither to one side nor the other… To be a benchmark at that level you have to win a title like a World Cup. I have a special affection for him and Marcelo can surely be a coach at their level, I can say yes. Same ability and same talent. But since today everything is measured through results, it isn’t easy for that to be accepted in a society like this.”
