Marcelo Bielsa loves training, especially preseason training. He wants his players to be as fit as possible and will find every way possible to push them to the limits.
At Lille, the manager had sleeping pods installed at the club’s training ground so players could stay there all day, having a sleep in-between various sessions.
It has advantages and disadvantages. When at Athletic Club Bilbao, Bielsa had his young team covering more ground than opponents but they eventually tired out.
Pablo Hernandez is currently enjoying it all.
Speaking to the Bilbao edition of Mundo Deportivo, the Leeds player has made clear that Bielsa hasn’t diluted his approach: “He is a great coach at the world level, all the coaches respect him a lot, I think we are very lucky to be able to work with him. The first days are being very intense, we are working very hard, but we need to suffer and work hard to get ready for the first league game.”
Leeds fans may be happy some of the squad are suffering, but they’d like more players to have have joined them by now, with the transfer front being somewhat frustrating.
Hernandez, who has long seemed a perfect professional, is keen to learn from Bielsa: “Of course. I always say it, I’m a very experienced player, I’ve been playing for many years, I’ve been through different leagues, but you can always learn, every day, every season… And I think I can still improve this season.”
Leeds United won’t doubt the 33 year old.
