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£12.8m Leeds star explains the key difference between Bielsa and Barcelona’s last three managers
Leeds United defender Junior Firpo has detailed the key difference between Marcelo Bielsa and the three managers he worked under in Spain during his time at Barcelona.
Firpo, who moved to Elland Road for in the summer, has played 13 times under Bielsa in all competitions so far. Playing in Spain has taught him a lot over the years, but the Premier League is a completely different ball game and so is the preparation before every fixture.
Bielsa is one of the most detail-oriented coaches in world football. The Argentine is always looking for ways to improve his side and that involves watching the same games over and over again. That’s something that has surprised Firpo this season.
The 25-year-old, who worked under Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien and Ronald Koeman in Spain, claims the approach under the three former Barca bosses was very different.
Junior Firpo explains difference between Bielsa and Barcelona’s last three managers
The full-back sat down for an interview with and he was quizzed a lot about his time at Barcelona. He was also asked about Leeds and Bielsa, and his response was an interesting one.
Firpo said: “We did not see videos of the rival, neither with Valverde, nor Quique nor with Koeman.
“Sometimes we have seen something concrete of a rival.
“With Bielsa, we see a lot (videos). It is from one extreme to another and there must be a middle ground.”
TBR View:
Spending hours watching videos of your opponents can become boring, but the minor details there could make a massive difference.
One of the biggest reasons why Leeds were as good as they were in their last two seasons is the hard work Bielsa put in behind the scenes. His style of football is certainly not easy, but the way he uses videos of his opponents to form a game plan makes it easier for the players to pick up the points.
Leeds haven’t been at their best this season, but there’s a lot of games still left to be played. Firpo and his teammates can expect many more video sessions behind the scenes in the coming weeks and months, and if they can retain all the information that Bielsa feeds them, they will finish a lot higher up in the table than they currently are.
