Mateusz Klich interview: "Marcelo Bielsa changed my life. I don’t know where I’d be if it weren't for him" - Four Four Two 10/9/21
By Martin Harasimowicz
Mateusz Klich has been with Leeds every step of their
Marcelo Bielsa odyssey – and few are as grateful to the Argentine as the Polish
midfielder. Can the Whites cement themselves as the Premier League neutrals'
choice?
Last season, Leeds were close to installing themselves as
the Premier League's new 'Entertainers', a quarter of a century after Kevin
Keegan's Newcastle lit up the division with a suicidal attacking philosophy
which won the neutrals' affection like few before or since.
Marcelo Bielsa's vibrant side brought hyper-intense pressing
and a sense of fun in their top-flight return last year. Mateusz Klich has been
part of the Yorkshire fabric since 2017 and made the step up look a doddle,
scoring four times in 35 league appearances to cement his place as one of El
Loco's most trusted on-field lieutenants.
The Polish midfielder sat down with FourFourTwo over the
summer to reveal what his goals are for the season ahead...
What did you make of your first season in the Premier
League? Were you happy?
Absolutely. If someone had told me a few years back that I’d
have got four goals, five assists and my team would finish in the middle of the
pack in the strongest league in the world, I would have probably told them to
see a psychiatrist! [Laughs] We managed to surprise a lot of people – experts
who thought our style couldn’t bring results.
How did you find the step up, compared with the
Championship?
The quality is much higher in the Premier League when it
comes to individual talent. Here, when you lose the ball in the middle, there’s
a bigger chance you’ll concede. The field is more even in the Championship and
you play eight more matches, so it’s more gruelling and exhausting physically.
What has Marcelo Bielsa been like for you as a manager – did
he change your life?
Enormously. I told him after we’d secured promotion in 2020
that he saved my career. I don’t know where I’d be if it weren't for him. I
couldn’t get a break in the Bundesliga, even tried my luck in the German second
division and generally couldn’t find my home until I came to Leeds. Bielsa
created a new version of me as a player. I’ve listened to everything he’s said and
it’s paid off.
What makes him so special?
He gets results. Our training sessions are hard and very
specific, but we’re definitely a well-oiled machine where everyone knows his
job and the spots he needs to get to. We can all see it’s working. We didn’t
change the way that we played football compared to our Championship years, and
still got results.
How close are Leeds to European football? Is that something
you dream about?
We weren’t as close as some people might think – the
Champions League was out of reach. The Europa League? Mathematically, yes, but
look at the teams that got there. We have to stay humble and realistic.
What are you hoping for in 2021/22?
I hope we will repeat the same season we had last year and
then maybe add a little bit more. Who knows, maybe this time we could compete
for the Europa League places? But let’s not forget that the second season is
always tougher for newcomers – just look at what happened to Sheffield United
last year. They were as good or even better than us in their first year, then
got relegated with a bang. So staying up will continue to be the main goal for
us – then we’ll see...
