Mateusz Klich has given fresh detail into what’s involved in Marcelo Bielsa’s infamous 'murderball' training drill.
The midfielder, who has become a key player for Leeds United under the Argentinian, went into some detail to describe what the legendarily tough session entails.
After failing to make much of an impact under Thomas Christiansen, being sent out on loan for the latter half of the campaign, Klich has enjoyed a career resurgence under Bielsa.
He’s started every single league game since the start of last season and earned a recall for the Polish national team.
Bielsa has a reputation as a meticulous coach, obsessed with the fitness of his players in order for them to play the intense pressing game he demands.
He’s lived up to that billing as Leeds boss, as many of his players would testify. That’s something the 'murderball' drill fits into.
“It’s basically playing 11 v 11 with no stops,” said Klich.
“Constantly running around and sprinting, and you have all the coaches on the pitch basically screaming all the time and basically you can’t stop running.
“It’s just a normal game with normal rules, 11 v 11 on a big pitch. You just play, but you can’t stop running. It’s tough, but it’s the most important session in the week.
"It depends on the training how long he wants us to play. It could be five times six minutes, or one times 20 minutes. It just depends what Marcelo wants.
“Even if the ball goes out, there’s a member of staff waiting with another ball to put it in. You can’t stop.”
The Leeds squad went under a major fitness transformation in Bielsa’s first summer in charge.
The double training sessions and fierce demands of the coach have since become legendary, especially as the improvement in athleticism and ability on the pitch was clear to see from the first match of last season, a rampant 3-1 victory over Stoke.
“It’s very strict and even if I go on international duty, I weigh every day just to be sure to make sure I come back with the same weight,” he added.
“That’s the way he wants us to be, to play his football you need to be very fit, you need to run a lot, and you can’t do that with additional kilos. You have to be in shape, that’s what he wants, and if management wants it then you have to do it.”
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