The level of detail Marcelo Bielsa applies to his work with Leeds United is unparalleled. You’ve likely read some of the stories yourself.
The mammoth video sessions, watching games over and over again to understand every intricacy of an opponent and find the small weakness in their armour.
“He knows everything to the smallest detail,” Andre Pierre-Gignac, said of Bielsa’s time at Marseille. “I glanced at his training schedules; there are hundreds of them, and every one featured games he analysed. He taught us a vibrant, real type of football.”
At times, that wealth of information can overwhelm Bielsa, but that doesn’t stop his Leeds games being a fascinating tactical battle.
“Football needs the player to have high self-esteem, but self-esteem leads to vanity and vanity makes you selfish,” he said. “ The coach must learn to control it within a group and find a balance”
For Twitter user @FocusonLeeds (also known as Thomas Wilson) it was their meeting with Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road in November that was by far the most enthralling fixture this season.
The game finished with a 2-0 win for Leeds thanks to goals from Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison, but there was more to examine than the result.
“Leeds lined up in their normal 4-1-4-1 but quickly changed,” Wilson writes. “I’m not sure if it was the plan or if QPR lined up differently than expected. Instead of going to their normal 3-1-3-3 and Phillips dropping into defence, it was, in fact, Ayling who moved more infield to keep the 3v2.
“The most interesting bit of it all was the fact Harrison had the whole left-hand side and Dallas moved into midfield to man-mark Eze. Leeds later changed Harrison for [Leif] Davis to provide more defensive cover as Kane came on for QPR who was much more attacking than Rangel. Pugh also came on and provided more width than Chair did, which meant Leeds needed the defensive ability of Davis.”
Leeds have faced Rangers three times this season and suffered a frustrating defeat at Loftus Road in January. The shift from the team’s usual 4-1-4-1 formation to a 3-1-3-3 could be an exciting window into Leeds’ evolution under Bielsa. The Argentinian has been willing to experiment with his formation while sticking true to his stylistic principles.
It also poses an interesting question for the run-in, with Leeds more than likely open to experimentation in the quest for the perfect formation.
The club are set to kick-off the restart of the Championship campaign with a game against Cardiff City on June 21.
