Marcelo Bielsa is a man on a mission. A man determined to get Leeds United back into the Premier League. And this man has proved time and again that he has got it all to take them back to the top flight.
As a manager of a football club, it’s important to realise that all aspects of the club need to be addressed, and that’s what successful clubs are about. What Bielsa has done with Leeds United is jaw dropping, from all viewpoints – the quality of football, the standards set for teams fighting for promotion, the tactics deployed to achieve results and most importantly, the connect with the fans.
The fans are the lifeblood of any club. Without them, the club is nothing. It’s one thing feeding the other. The manager and players doing well for the club excites the fans, and that excitement in turn gives purpose to the manager and the players.
It seems that Marcelo Bielsa has checked all the boxes in that department. He has kept the fans intrigued right from day one. He has taken a club that has been unlucky with promotions and playoffs and made them true contenders for the Championship title, even though they have had a tough run of results lately. His tactics and antics have won over the fans. From restoring belief in the players and fans, to making his squad pick up litter, to sending “secret agents” to scout opponents training sessions, he’s done it all.
Wrote to the boss telling him what he means to #lufc after the QPR game, after seeing the photo of him with his head in his hands. Got this today… pic.twitter.com/n6AdJoNQTF
And this latest gesture is just another feather on the cap of the Argentine. Bielsa went the extra mile to reply to a fan’s letter to him after a game against QPR, appreciating him for what he’s done with the club. It’s evident that Marcelo himself typed out the letter, and even though English may not be his preferred language, he typed down what he would have said, irrespective of the grammatical errors, it seems he personally signed the letter and sent it back to the fan. Even top Premier League clubs rarely add a personal touch while addressing fans’ concerns, if at all.
This gesture of goodwill from Bielsa has just strengthened an already strong connect with the fans. And if it stays this way, the future for Leeds looks promising, with them currently chasing automatic promotion.
Marcelo Bielsa knows that the fans are everything to a football club. Through thick and thin, through different managers and owners and players. From the beginning, till the end.
All we can say now is this: Don’t ever change, Bielsa!
