Marcelo Bielsa remains one of Leeds United’s most iconic figures in the club’s history and yet, not many know what he was like behind the scenes. Well, Aymeric Laporte has given some insight.
It is almost three years since Andrea Radrizzani decided to sack Bielsa. A decision Radrizzani admits he got wrong during his time as Leeds owner. The end of a four-year spell that made fans dream again.
Taking over a Leeds side stuck in Championship mid-table obscurity, Bielsa rejuvenated the squad and in turn, reconnected a fanbase that had fallen out of love with the Leeds team. Play-offs in his first season.
The Championship title the next, a ninth-placed Premier League finish in his third. It is a widely-held belief that Leeds would have stayed in the top tier with Bielsa in 22-23. It certainly wasn’t Jesse Marsch’s doing.
Aymeric Laporte in action for Bilbao.
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Aymeric Laporte delivers insight into Marcelo Bielsa’s training
Laporte broke into the Bilbao side towards the end of Bielsa’s reign, having joined the Bilbao academy in 2010. He would play 55 times under Bielsa as a teenager, before Bielsa left Bilbao for Marseille in 2013.
Speaking to The Rest Is Football, Laporte shares what it was like to play and train under Bielsa. He was asked: “Just how much did you learn playing under Marcelo Bielsa? What was that experience like?
Laporte replied: “A lot, a lot. Yeah, a lot. You know, he’s a tough coach in terms of physicality condition because he wants, you know, man to man. Sometimes even when we play with one man less.
“Like 10 against 11, he’s man to man, full 90 minutes, you know, and it was difficult, but I enjoyed a lot and I learned a lot from him,” Laporte continued, recalling his brief stint under Bielsa at Bilbao.
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Aymeric Laporte was a Man City player during Leeds’ 2-1 win
Arguably, the most memorable win of Bielsa’s era was the 2-1 away win over Man City. Leeds had taken the lead in the first half through Stuart Dallas, only for Liam Cooper to be sent off just before the break.
Laporte was at Man City at the time but was not in the squad. Yet, his mentioning of Bielsa’s training with 10 men is poignant. Leeds would go on to win 2-1, Dallas cancelling out Ferran Torres’ equaliser.
Bielsa had and still has a way of playing that was alien to the Premier League. It saw Leeds shine and while there were some heavy defeats along the way, Bielsa will always retain legendary status at Elland Road.