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Leeds United are back in the Premier League for the first time in 16 years with a style of play under eccentric coach Marcelo Bielsa that is as far removed as possible from their historic “Dirty Leeds” image.
Over a long and varied career, the 65-year-old Argentine coach has displayed an exhilarating and fast-paced style of football designed to keep the opposition out of breath, yet risks leaving his own players exhausted before the season ends.
Bielsa’s teams invariably display high pressure and attack with fast, vertical passing, and their two seasons at Leeds in the Championship were no exception, leading them to the title and promotion to the top flight.
For Bielsa, taking the initiative is a sacrosanct principle and he doesn’t have time for teams to sit on defense, or “speculate” as he disparagingly describes it.
He is famously showing his distaste for negativity after his team from Chile lost 1-0 to Italy in a U-23 tournament in 2008.
At the end of the match, a livid Bielsa angrily berated his counterpart Pierluigi Casiraghi for alleged gutting tactics. “Throwing long balls over the number nine, that’s not football,” he ranted.
Bielsa’s influence is pervasive, with Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino among those who consider him their mentor, even if the content of his trophy cabinet is modest.
More than big-name players, Bielsa works best with those who are prepared to adapt to his demanding style, making Leeds an ideal club for their Premier League debut.
It will be the third of the best European leagues to experience Bielsa after La Liga and Ligue 1.
He led Athletic Bilbao to the Copa del Rey and UEFA Cup finals in his first season there, although the second was a disappointment.
His Olympique Marseille side topped the table midway through their only full season in charge before fading to finish fourth.
Arsenal had a preview of things to come during last season’s 1-0 win over Leeds in the FA Cup.
“They are a nightmare for any team,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “It’s like going to the dentist. It’s hard, they make it really hard. It’s man to man around the court and if you’re not ready, you expose yourself.”
It’s all a long way from the 1960s and 1970s, when the Yorkshire club’s perceived win-at-all-cost approach under Don Revie earned them the nickname “Dirty Leeds” while taking home trophies like the league title, the FA Cup. and the League Cup.
But even if that label no longer applies in the field, Leeds still likes the concept.
“We have a history of being ‘Dirty Leeds’ and we actually channel it,” club president Andrea Radrizanni told FIFA magazine.
“We want to play great football and we are doing it, but we also have to fight every time we go out on the pitch. All of our guys are willing to fight for the jersey every week and having that character is important to being a Leeds United.” player.”
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