Former Leeds United defender Ezgjan Alioski has likened Marcelo Bielsa to his current manager at Fenerbahce, Jorge Jesus. Alioski spent the bulk of his career at Elland Road playing under Bielsa, appearing 126 times during the Argentine’s tenure at Elland Road.
The North Macedonia international was a regular part of Leeds’ success during the first three years of Bielsa’s time in charge, scoring five goals and providing five assists in the promotion campaign, and missing just two matches in the season the Whites finished ninth in the Premier League.
Alioski then ended his four-year stay with Leeds in the summer of 2021, joining Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli. Despite six goals and nine assists, Al-Ahli were relegated from the top-flight and so Alioski made the move to Fenerbahce on loan.
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Like Bielsa, Jesus is an extremely experienced manager after beginning his career in the dugout in 1990. Bielsa was slightly earlier than that, but speaking to Fenerbahce’s official site, via Inside Futbol, Alioski believes the two managers share similar traits and is glad to be working under Jesus after such an enjoyable time under Bielsa.
He said: “You can’t say the same things for every coach. If we make a comparison between Jesus and Bielsa, I think they are similar to each other in terms of their characteristics.
“I am very happy to have worked with Bielsa before. As of now, I am working with our coach Jorge Jesus and it is an enjoyable experience working with him.”
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