Patrick Bamford reveals Leeds United dressing room 'divide' after Marcelo Bielsa exit — YEP 10/10/24

By Kyle Newbould

The much-loved Leeds United manager was sacked in 2022.

Patrick Bamford admits there was ‘a bit of a divide’ inside the Leeds United dressing room around the time of Marcelo Bielsa’s exit in February 2022.

Leeds sacked Bielsa after a run of four straight defeats left them 16th in the Premier League table, with heavy losses leading to boos inside Elland Road. The Argentinian was attempting to manage a squad ravaged by injuries, with the previous season’s top-scorer Bamford among several long-term absentees.

Bielsa earned legendary status after guiding Leeds to promotion in 2020 before securing a ninth-placed finish in their first top-flight campaign, but questions were asked as to whether his physical demands took a toll on the squad. And Bamford has reflected on what he described as a ‘gutting’ period.

“It was tough and, to be honest, I took it badly because when Marcelo got sacked I was injured from October until he left the club,” Bamford told The 72+ EFL podcast. “So maybe with a little bit of an ego, I thought if I was fit, the team would have functioned the way it had before and we’d have been alright and then he wouldn't have had to leave.

“So I was a little bit gutted and it was sad to see him go. I think at that point there was a bit of a divide in the changing room, you sometimes get that when a team is struggling, you start to see people’s true colours.”

While the end of Bielsa’s reign was painful for all involved, the former manager remains an icon among supporters not only for guiding Leeds to the Premier League, but for reconnecting the club and its players with the fanbase. The Argentinian’s attention to detail has been well-documented and Kalvin Phillips recently spoke of having only a protein shake for dinner in a bid to cut weight.

Bamford arrived at Leeds in the same summer as Bielsa and found a permanent home at Elland Road, going on to earn his first and only England cap under the Argentinian - who he is in no doubt is the greatest manager he’s played under.

“Unless you came to watch a training session, it's really difficult to describe what it was like because you don't really understand when you're in it, what it’s doing,” Bamford added of Bielsa. “There were a lot of passing drills, so there may be a session where we had 14 drills just with mannequins. But they'd be so specific and I still don't really understand how he managed to do this but they’d translate so well to the game, that it just worked.

“Under him, we never ever did small-sided games or possession - not once in three-and-a-half-years. Yet, we were so good with the ball and so fit. So it's hard to explain. And when you ask if he’s the best manager I’ve ever played under, without a doubt, because I've never had a manager open my eyes to see football in a completely different way.”