Described as the ‘obsessive’s obsessive,’ it’s fair to say that Marcelo Bielsa has left a huge impact on Leeds United players & fans and the footballing world as a whole.
The Argentine coach is known for his high energy football and his highly unconventional tactics. From Pep Guardiola to Mauricio Pochettino, the 65-year-old manager left an ever-lasting impression on many throughout his football journey.
Leeds academy graduate, Ryan Edmondson was no different, as he narrated his version of the Bielsa story in an interview with Daily Mail’s Scottish reporter John McGarry.
The 19-year-old will go on loan from Leeds United to the Premiership side Aberdeen with the prospect of collecting valuable experience in Scotland.
During his time coming through the ranks at Leeds, Edmondson described his unique experience working under Marcelo Bielsa. The young striker revealed the reasons behind Leeds United’s mentality and successes under Bielsa, and it’s not what one might expect.
He made us do reading classes at one point. He said reading would give you a major psychological advantage and it would help us a lot.
Ryan Edmondson on Marcelo Bielsa
Edmondson described how just a few days into his tenure, the Argentine made the entire team pick the litters around the Thorp Arch. Although a few players could not come to terms as to what they were doing at the time, it ultimately paid dividends to instil a sense of humility in the team.
The 19-year-old disclosed another instance of Bielsa’s unusual training methods, where he held reading classes at the gym for half an hour for relaxation after the tiring training sessions.
A screenshot of Ryan Edmondson’s interview with Scottish Mail (source)
Despite making just a solitary appearance under Bielsa, Edmondson holds his learning curve at the Yorkshire club highly.
Marcelo Bielsa has turned himself into a heroic figure at Leeds United and is a true legend of football. The Argentine coach best describes his philosophy as “A man with new ideas is a madman, until his ideas triumph.”
