The Repercussion Of His Art Has Infinite Recognitions

It was as if El Loco descended from heaven. ‘The Godfather of Modern Football’, ‘the best coach in the world’, yet I’d never heard of him despite being obsessed with football since his managerial career began. I used to bemoan the fact no world-class manager would have the hunger to take on the hardest task in football: guiding Leeds United back to the Premier League. It would mean sacrificing a bit of money and the chance of a few trophies, but shouldn’t the sporting challenge, and the opportunity to become a legend at such a huge club, be enough of a draw? Never in my wildest dreams did I actually believe it would come to pass, nor could I have imagined how deeply the manager would enrichen our lives, our city, and our football club. I’ll keep the eulogy brief because, as The Great Man might say, if I listed Marcelo Bielsa’s virtues I would just be repeating what others have already said. Simply put, we all love him, and that is his greatest accomplishment.

“Simply put, we all love him, and that is his greatest accomplishment.”

So why the hell did they sack him? Well, they sacked him because he had won just five games all season, although I’d wager it was Leeds’s leaky defence, now the worst in the league, that tipped them over the edge. If anyone was going to survive relegation with the worst defence it would be Marcelo Bielsa, and his record against ‘the other 14’ should have given the board enough confidence in the man who has fulfilled their dreams. But fan-opinion stands for nowt because this is Andrea Radrizzani’s club, not ours, and he’ll decide what’s best for us – The San Francisco 49ers and Big Jesse Marsch. Many fans will never forgive Radrizzani for crucifying The Great Man, me included, but the world hasn’t stopped going round yet, so let’s just hope it all works out for the best. 

“Many fans will never forgive Radrizzani for crucifying The Great Man, me included, but the world hasn’t stopped going round yet, so let’s just hope it all works out for the best. ”

So where did it go wrong for Bielsa? Some people believe the team was ‘broken’, but to me the margins seem very fine. Had Bamford’s knee towards goal bounced off the bar and down onto the line against Brentford we would have lost the match, but we may have retained our star striker for the rest of the season. More significant was the injury to Kalvin Phillips. When analysing the team’s record with and without KP, it is almost certain that his absence cost Bielsa his job, or you could say it was Bielsa’s failure to resolve the issue of not having Phillips in the team, a problem that Bielsa accepted right at the start of his reign, ‘It would be better for all of us if Phillips plays every match.’ Everyone except Jesse Marsch. What if the Liverpool game had been played on Boxing Day? Would he have been sacked for losing that game 6-0? Would he have been sacked this week if the Anfield stuffing had been taken out of the equation? Only the board knows. 

The board clearly expect Jesse Marsch’s impact on the team will be more Thomas Tuchel and less Jan Siewert (the guy who took Huddersfield down with one win in their last 15 games), but ultimately it is the players who will define whether Marsch is a success at Leeds. I couldn’t help feeling annoyed at the players for thanking Bielsa, rather than apologising to him in their social media messages, until Jack Harrison’s request for our support struck a chord with me. ‘To the best supporters in the world – we need you.’ On the surface it read like any generic Instagram post, yet in my head it wasn’t even a call to arms, it was a plea of desperation. The Premier League is on the line for these players too. They have suffered and sacrificed, and their misgivings that led to Bielsa’s sacking are not for the want of trying.

“ The Premier League is on the line for these players too. They have suffered and sacrificed, and their misgivings that led to Bielsa’s sacking are not for the want of trying.”

I must finish by talking on a personal level, because Marcelo Bielsa has had a huge influence in my life. The man he is and the job he was doing at Elland Road inspired me to start writing for the first time as an adult, and after I sent him my account of his first season he turned up on my doorstep with presents of thanks. It was a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life, something I will always feel blessed for. Almost two years on and I’ve written two published books about Leeds United, and I’m in the process of interviewing my old heroes for a third. Marcelo Bielsa didn’t teach me to write, but he dragged the potential out of me, so you can file me with Phillips, Cooper, Ayling, Dallas, Bamford and Forshaw, and many, many more no doubt, who have been touched by the divine influence of El Loco. When I wrote to Bielsa asking his permission to use the story of his visit in my book, he told me he ‘valued the moment as much as I did’. Instinctively, I took this comment with a pinch of salt, but I now realise he truly meant it. Even through the bitter pain of missing out on promotion twice in a month, he had still delivered happiness. He was loved even in defeat, and I suspect that means more to him than winning, and the emptiness that apparently follows.

“He was loved even in defeat, and I suspect that means more to him than winning, and the emptiness that apparently follows”

‘The repercussion of his art has infinite recognitions.’ The words were said about Diego Maradona, and you can be sure Bielsa’s legacy will continue in the same vein. They were El Loco’s own words, and they were beautiful. 

Gracias Marcelo.

Rocco Dean - Author of Marcelo Bielsa vs The Damned United and The O’leary Years (order on Amazon)