What the Premier League Can Expect From Marcelo Bielsa & Leeds United

The Premier League has been waiting for Leeds United for 16 years, and it's been waiting for Marcelo Bielsa for far longer than that. Like a pair of particularly irksome buses, they've only gone and come along at once.

But what's all the hype about? What is it that Bielsa and Leeds have that, say, Eddie Howe and Bournemouth don't? Why should we all have been rooting for them from the day they announced the enigmatic Argentine as their new manager?

Well...

1. A Neurotic, Unpredictable Genius

Before we get into this, let's summarise what sort of character we're dealing with in Bielsa.

Ask any Leeds player about his attention to detail and you'll be met with a wry, knowing laugh. He had the first-team players litter-picking earlier this season to teach them a lesson in humility, and reportedly spent 19 hours of his time over lockdown watching reserve midfielder Alfie McCalmont to gauge his potential.

This is a man who thinks there's 36 ways to pass the ball, and once grabbed a live grenade and threatened to throw it at fans who were complaining. He's nicknamed 'El Loco', or 'The Madman'.

Seriously, he's a maniac, but there's no such thing as a sane genius.

2. The 3-3-1-3

There's a lot to wrap your head around with Bielsa. He does things irrevocably his own way; he would, and previously has, stubbornly failed at being original before even considering a compromise.

He's one of football's great innovators, and that's summed up most distinctly in his signature tactical style.

The 3-3-1-3 hasn't quite caught on like the systems trademarked by Johan Cryuff, Pep Guardiola or Antonio Conte, but only because no-one has been able to figure it out.

It's a bit of a misnomer, granted. The 3-3-1-3 is a possession formation that resembles more of a 4-1-4-1 on paper, but when Kalvin Phillips drops between his central defenders to form a back three and Pablo Hernandez floats into the free role behind the lone central striker, it really is a wonder to behold.

If it strikes gold in the top flight, then Nuno Santo's nuanced Wolves will look rudimentary by comparison.

3. Muted Celebrations

One of the most complex characters in football, sport and the world in general, Bielsa has layers. The man may think nothing of sending his staff to spy on Derby County's training sessions, but he's also the kind of guy who refuses to celebrate his team's goals, he says, out of respect to the opposition.

His line for moral acceptability might be blurrier than Damon Albarn, but at least he sticks to it.

4. New Shopping Habits

Morrisons might be fine for a Championship manager, but no more. You're Premier League now, Loco; forget the own brand orange juice, it's champagne from Waitrose from here on out.

5. Trips to the Dentist

They are a nightmare for every team to play. I said before the game, to play against them is like going to the dentist.

That was Mikel Arteta's summary after Arsenal played Leeds earlier in the season, and it just about sums up the team who have raced to the Championship title.

Whether it's the frequent sh*thousing, the unconventional tactics, the relentless high press or the dogged determination to keep the back door closed at all costs, Bielsa's Leeds are bloody hard to play against.

That's not to say they don't play some nice football, granted - they strike the balance between organisation and fluidity quite seamlessly.

6. One of English Football's Biggest Clubs

One thing that seems to have been brushed under the carpet during their 16-year-long absence from the top flight is the enormity of Leeds, even in comparison to many Premier League clubs.

They've won three league titles and were the last English champions of the First Division era; they've been to five European finals and were in the semis of the Champions League as recently as 2001; outside of the 'big six', they've got one of the biggest stadiums in England, and they pretty regularly sell it out.

All of that comes together to create a hostile, intimidating atmosphere that, on its day, can give a packed Anfield a run for its money.

Well, once the fans return.

7. Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi feels a kinship with his fellow Rosario native, and once said a career ambition of his is to be coached by Bielsa, who left his role as Argentina manager shortly before his own international debut.

Things are a bit up in the air for him at Barcelona at the minute, and he could really prove a point to Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of his 'doubters' if he was to rock up in the Premier League and bang in 76 goals in his first season.

In the real world, James Milner is an ambitious enough dream for now, but the fact that we can even hint at this means it's a good time to be alive.

8. The Best Coach in the World

So Jurgen Klopp is widely regarded as the best coach in the world, but he says Pep Guardiola is the best coach in the world. That makes Guardiola, logically, the best coach in the world.

But what do you then call the person who the best coach in the world calls the best coach in the world? The best-est coach in the world?

Anyway, you might look at Bielsa's trophy cabinet and CV and immediately toss out any suggestions that he's the best coach in the world, but it's pretty much universally agreed among anyone who he has ever worked with or come up against that Bielsa is one of the best and most influential managers ever. So what's a record on paper?

Bielsa is the Motorhead or the Velvet Underground of football management; you might not think much of him, but your favourite definitely does, so deal with it.

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