Marcelo Bielsa guided Leeds United to the Premier League for the first time in over a decade back in 2020. It took him multiple attempts, but he brought top flight football back to Elland Road.
His time at the club remains one of the most memorable in Leeds’ history. Bielsa’s first season in the Premier League with the club saw them finish in the top half of the league as a newly promoted side – setting records for points and goals scored during that period. The amazing thing was how he did it with a group of players not too far different from what he had in the Championship.
Leeds did some good recruitment as they were able to bring on board the likes of Raphinha, Rodrigo Moreno and Jack Harrison. The club played some exciting fast-paced football, and even when they lost, the games were exciting.
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Mario Lemina speaks on almost joining Leeds United
Mario Lemina Credit: Imago
Mario Lemina, who played under Bielsa at Marseille, has been speaking about the former Leeds coach. He praised the Argentine tactician for teaching him so much during his time under him. Lemina also revealed that Bielsa wanted to sign him when he took over Leeds a few years later; he was speaking to French outlet So Foot:
“With Bielsa, I was one of his protégés. Giannelli Imbula, Benjamin Mendy, Brice Samba, Florian Thauvin.
“We were a crazy team, we learned too much with this coach. It’s as if we were still at school,” he said.
“He had no shame in saying in front of everyone that I was an extraordinary player, it was rewarding coming from a coach like that.
“Afterwards, he wanted to bring me back to Leeds United,”
Leeds could have done so much more under Bielsa
Marcelo Bielsa was at Leeds four close to four seasons, and the impact he had was undeniable. But many felt that after his incredible first season in the Premier League, he deserved reinforcements to the squad. Dan James and Junior Firpo were the only major signings the following summer, and the team had a massive drop off due to needing fresh faces.
Ultimately, it was Bielsa that paid the price – he was sacked as the owners feared the club would get relegated. Jesse Marsch came in later that season, and guided the Whites to safety.
