Patrick Bamford believes Marcelo Bielsa deserves most of the credit for turning Leeds United around over the past few years.
Leeds are enjoying a brilliant first season in the Premier League following their promotion from the Championship last year, sitting 11th with 39 points from 29 matches so far.
Bielsa took over as Whites head coach in June 2018 and, after losing the play-off semi-final to Derby County in his first season, he led Leeds to the Championship title in the 2019/20 season.
The Argentine boss has completely overhauled the club’s playing style, implementing a unique man-to-man, high-intensity system which has made Leeds hard to play against.
While he is widely regarded as one of the most influential coaches in modern football, Bielsa is reluctant to accept praise and Bamford says that characteristic extends to his assessment of his work with Leeds.
“He’s a very intelligent man, so I’m sure he knows the kind of impact he’s had,” the Leeds striker told The Official Leeds Utd Podcast.
“I think that he’s the kind of person. Everyone has seen from videos the way he is with fans and stuff.
"If you said to him ‘you’ve changed this club so much, thank you, thank you’, he would be adamant that it was not him. He would say it was everyone else but him that’s done this.
“Obviously it was [chairman] Andrea [Radrizzani] who appointed him, put a load of money into the club and got us into a position to be able to get Marcelo.
“I think Marcelo is the one who has changed the ethos of the club, the way we play, everything around the club day to day today, and so for me he’s the one who has made the biggest changes.
“Getting him to accept it, or admit it, would be kind of difficult I think.”
Leeds moved 13 points clear of the relegation zone with their 2-1 win over Fulham last Friday.
Their position means, with nine matches still to play in the Premier League, they can aim for a top-half finish in their first season in the top-flight for 16 years.
Bielsa’s side plays bottom side Sheffield United next after the international break before a tricky run of fixtures against Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United.
