The championship against arch-rivals Real Madrid has been lost and there have been persistent rumors about the lack of support from their own stars: Quique Setién’s future on FC Barcelona’s coaching bench hangs by a thread. Superstar Lionel Messi should now force a farewell to the 61-year-old himself. Instead, La Pulga reportedly wants an eccentric compatriot on the sidelines.
Messi demands that FC Barcelona do everything it can to hire cult coach Marcelo Bielsa. That wants the “Sun“have experienced exclusively.
After coaching positions in Argentina, Mexico, Spain, France, Italy and with the national teams of Argentina and Chile, the Argentine hired at Leeds United in the summer of 2018. He recently led the traditional English club back to the Premier League.
Particularly tempting: Bielsa’s contract in Leeds ends this summer, United wants to extend with the 65-year-old, but an offer from Barcelona could certainly turn the head of the South American.
Bielsa has a very good reputation in coaching circles and is even considered to be a mentor to Pep Guardiola (“It doesn’t matter how many titles he has won. For me he is the best coach”, O-Ton Guardiola) or Mauricio Pohettino (“We are a generation of coaches who were his students “), a title in European club football has so far been denied to the seasoned player.
Bielsa caused a sensation in the past mainly through his eccentric nature, which earned him the nickname “El Loco” (the madman, d.Red). Bielsa’s ex-protégé Gerardo Martino, for his part Barca coach in the 2013/14 season, once explained what was really behind the “madman”: “He is called ‘El Loco’ because football thinkers are usually called Loco. But he is by no means insane. He is a charismatic intellectual. As a footballer you want to play for him, as a journalist you want to talk to him. “
Bielsa is also said, however, that the perfect game is more important to him than the bad victory. However, it should be clear that at Barca he should not only convince in terms of play, but also win.
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