Why Marcelo Bielsa Deserved to Be Nominated for The Best FIFA Men's Coach in 2020

On Thursday 17 December, FIFA will announce its 'The Best' awards for the year 2020.

Conducted virtually, the nominees will gather online in the most unusual of circumstances as they await their accolades; this being the first ceremony not to be conducted in person since the governing body decided to sever ties with the Ballon d'Or in 2016.

But with those awards cancelled this year due to disruption caused by the pandemic, there appears to be much more resting on the less prestigious FIFA rendition

Robert Lewandowski, for one, will be seeking recognition for a season of industrial goalscoring proportions, while Son Heung-Min has been shortlisted for the famous FIFA Puskas Award after that goal against Burnley.

Perhaps the most unexpected visitor to proceedings, though, is a man whose influence on the modern game has been felt on a deep, intangible level, but someone whose groundbreaking advancements have rarely materialised into anything substantial. That man's name is Marcelo Bielsa.

He has been nominated for The Best FIFA Men's Coach award, an announcement that made headlines - for all the wrong reasons.

"Bielsa? Bielsa has to win a prestigious trophy," Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas bristled in a press conference three weeks ago.

"He's not among the five best coaches in the world in 2020. It's a scandal. He won the Championship!"

Villas-Boas wasn't on his own. The reaction has been toxic, with ex-Aston Villa man Gabby Agbonlahor apparently singing from the same hymn sheet as the Portuguese.

“I'm lost for words," he said on talkSPORT Breakfast.

"Listen, he’s done a great job at Leeds, getting them promoted and their good start to the season in the Premier League. But I do think it's a bit ridiculous for him to be in that top five. I think there are so many great managers in world football who have done a better job than Bielsa."

Perhaps Agbonlahor is referring to Jurgen Klopp, or Hansi Flick, both of whom have been nominated and are unquestionably the favourites after Klopp ended Liverpool's 30-year wait for a league title and Flick won the treble with Bayern Munich.

Zinedine Zidane, a La Liga title winner with Real Madrid, and Julen Lopetegui, a Europa League winner with Sevilla, were also part of the initial five-man shortlist, but neither made the cut for the final three.

Bielsa, on the other hand, did. And that news hasn't gone down well in some quarters, even if, for a man who managed to revive one of the true giants of the English game, it's difficult to understand why.

After all, it's worth noting the state that Leeds United were in when Bielsa arrived, and the players he had at his disposal.

While Andrea Radrizzani had brought some semblance of order to the financial chaos of the previous decade, Leeds were a club in stagnation. The churn of managers had been incessant: 11 in the space of eight years.

Barring two seventh-place finishes, the West Yorkshire club had barely strayed beyond mid-table since winning promotion from League One under Simon Grayson. Even promotion specialist Neil Warnock was unable to weave his magic as the club finished 14th and 13th in his two half-seasons in charge.

But Bielsa came in and not only transformed the squad - elevating in-house talent to levels never thought possible - but he re-energised the entire club, too.

As exciting as it was to see the likes of Luke Ayling, Kalvin Phillips, and Liam Cooper evolve into three of the best players in the Championship, the most encouraging aspect of his arrival was the return of full crowds, and the growing sense of optimism among fans that something special was on the horizon.

Before long, it would come to pass. In his second season, Bielsa executed the seemingly impossible: promotion. It was his just rewards.

The Argentine's journey, after all, has not been plain sailing. He is no stranger to last-minute disaster. Whether it be Copa Libertadores heartbreak with Newell's Old Boys, late-season decay at Marseille or the more recent playoff implosion at Elland Road, his teams have often made a habit of falling at the final hurdle, which made promotion last season all the more significant.

But while that alone might not be enough for him to win the award, one thing you can say is this: without Bielsa, there is no Klopp, no Flick, and, ironically, no Villas-Boas.

By introducing an unprecedented, high-octane pressing system at Newell's and then in Europe, Bielsa dared to think differently, and the world of football - including those three - caught on. Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, are self-declared "disciples" of his.

Bielsa, a true pioneer, pushed the boundaries with his attention to detail. After all he has given, not just to Leeds but to the modern game as a whole, a nomination is the least he deserved.