Marcelo Bielsa's refusal to adapt approach cost him at Leeds - BBC 27/2/22

By Phil McNulty

Chief football writer

Leeds United's downward spiral into relegation trouble made it clear something had to change.

The one thing everyone knew would not be changing was manager Marcelo Bielsa's philosophy.

It meant that if Bielsa would not change, then he would have to be replaced, and so it has proved.

Bielsa's departure, a decision undoubtedly taken with huge reluctance, closes a chapter in which the enigmatic manager has made himself an iconic figure in West Yorkshire, not only restoring Leeds to the Premier League but also giving back respectability and credibility to this proud club.

The 66-year-old Argentine's stellar reputation among his peers and his status with adoring Leeds United fans is based on steadfast principles that football for the masses must be a front-foot thrill ride designed to deliver excitement and brighten lives.

When it works it is glorious spectacle, but when it falls apart it leads to Leeds' current predicament after the 4-0 loss at home to Tottenham that leaves them in 16th place in the table having conceded 60 goals, more than any other side in the division.

And in recent weeks, Bielsa's refusal to alter his approach has left Leeds looking bereft, vulnerable and exposing a style that, while as pleasing on the eye as any, is fragile and fraught with danger.

Bielsa, however, has left a body of work behind at Elland Road that will make him a hero forever with the fervent Leeds support, who have loved the entertainment he has provided for them as well as his humble approach that chimed perfectly with the characteristics of the area.

Leeds fans have resolutely refused to dilute their admiration for Bielsa, even in the face of grim recent evidence, but his unbending insistence on his own style and refusal to seemingly even countenance a measure of pragmatism has led to a decision which will create great sadness at the club and among its supporters.

Bielsa can justly point to mitigating circumstances such as the absence through injury of his key midfield man, England's Kalvin Phillips, and Leeds' main source of goals, Patrick Bamford. They have had a devastating impact on the team's effectiveness, while they have also missed influential defender and leader Liam Cooper.

He would rightly say any team would miss such big players, although Bielsa's desire to maintain a relatively small squad has not helped.

Leeds would have been bracing themselves, preparing even, for the possibility of Bielsa leaving at the end of the season. He operates on one-year contracts and the noise has grown louder recently that his time was coming to a close.

This would have been more the time of Leeds' choosing for any parting of the ways, but the real threat of relegation has hastened events.

American coach Jesse Marsch, an advocate of Bielsa's style and admired by Leeds director of football Victor Orta, seems to be the front runner although even this is a gamble so late in the season.

Marsch won admirers at Red Bull Salzburg, where he won two Austrian titles and two domestic cups, but he failed in his last job at RB Leipzig, where he was sacked after less than six months.

He is not a man well versed in the tensions and twists of a Premier League relegation struggle so Leeds will hope, should they appoint him, that he is up to speed immediately.

Bielsa leaves with his reputation intact among supporters who are forever grateful that he put Leeds back in a place they feel is their rightful home.

He picked Leeds up from previous years of financial turmoil, plus a miserable time in the English game's third tier, and halted a rapid turnover of managers that had become an embarrassment to one of the game's great old football institutions.

Right up until his departure, Leeds fans accepted the flaws in Bielsa's plans in exchange for the entertainment he gave them, which was not without tangible reward in the shape of promotion then consolidation in the Premier League.

It was the potential loss of the status Bielsa delivered, as well as the manner in which his Leeds side were being heavily beaten on a regular basis in his closing days, that was the catalyst for a painful decision, one plenty will feel is harsh and sad, but a move made to stop a slide that is threatening to become unstoppable.

Marcelo Bielsa, though, is a coach and a personality who will always have a special place in the hearts of Leeds United fans.