I swear I remember it like it was yesterday.
My parents, brother, and I were at a a barbecue hosted by longtime family friends in Chino, California. My dad and his buddy Edwardo were in the backyard tending the grill, and I (13 years old at the time) was right there trying to be – you know – “one of the men”.
The topic? Newell’s Old Boys (a small team from Rosario, Argentina), and how they just won the Argentine League. Among the many details, Marcelo Bielsa (a Rosarino himself) dominated the discussion. This was a special time since everyone at the BBQ was from Rosario and were feeling kinda proud. Even my mom, a supporter of arch-rival Central, was quite festive.
It’s one of those memories from childhood, that is burned in your brain. I know the smells, the exact lighting in the backyard, and my precise location and positioning when the topic started up.
Anyways, my brother and I have been following Bielsa’s trajectory ever since. And every step of the way, we’ve always thought he was a tremendous badass! So much so that, a little over 10 years ago, we even bribed guards to sneak into closed-door training sessions. This man is our greatest coaching influence.
ferguson who?
Bielsa is to coaches, what Messi is to players.
Totally.
Different.
Level.
The following has been on my mind for many many years, and now my suspicions are further solidified:
I’ve always felt Ferguson, which Americans blindly (yes blindly) put on a pedestal, is a tactical primate by comparison. Go ahead and throw his trophies at me (as if I don’t know). This business of assessing quality has many layers.
There, I’ve said it. It’s off my chest and out in the world.
Ha! So just imagine what I think of your typical youth, college, MLS, and National Team coaches. Please, they’re amoebas.
Did You Know?
Now, before you conveniently declare me a nut-job, or start thinking my heritage and childhood engrained a certifiable bias, how could you know without having followed Bielsa’s teams?
For instance, did you watch his Argentina failure to advance out of the 2002 World Cup group phase? Can you appreciate what a freak occurance that was? That Argentina team was perhaps one of the most dominant and deadly National Teams I’ve ever seen. And most everyone witnessing the matches leading up to and through that World Cup agree. They were the heavyweight to take it all. When that didn’t materialize, the Argentine public, media, and federation – notorious for lynching coaches – wanted him to stay in charge. Why would that be?
Ten years later, after his little Athletic Bilbao thoroughly tore Manchester United a new one, Pep Guardiola made the statement:
“He’s the greatest coach on the planet.”
And it’s not like he needed the last couple weeks to conclude that.
(Recall that Pep, before taking over Barcelona, went to Argentina to learn from Marcelo).
What’s the Point
But I’m bringing all this up now only because those two matches are what put Bielsa on the map with the general American soccer coach/blogger/fan/whatever. You know, the very community I rail against as having no clue about this game. It’s quite telling that it takes Manchester United getting torn up to get “these people’s” attention. Hopefully the smart ones will realize that maybe their depth is not what they thought it was, that maybe there’s a ton of things to learn.
This is why I wanted him so desperately for the US National Team. So that the American soccer community, which is frankly devoid of the global game, would have a constant exposure to a truly elite coach. And with that, finally have all their beliefs exposed as nonsense.
But oh well, I hope they at least felt this latest global double-bitch-slap on March 8 and March 15. And I hope they use it to start waking up!
Are you still asleep?
Gary,
Thanks for this insight.
I watched the game and Man U was atrocious. I have not seen them play that bad (other than when they get trashed by Man City). Every time Athletic Bilbao attacked, they seemed to score. I agree with you that a possession game with rhythm would achieve better results than a direct soccer, but with full strength and great squad, Man U can tear teams apart like they did many times.
I am surprised that you are so dismissive about Ferguson given what he has achieved. I am an Arsenal gunner and have no love for Man U, but Sir Alex has earned his stripes. The squad that played against Athletic were really bad and no amount of tactics or lack thereof would have saved them.
Marcelo Bielsa is a great coach! I have seen what he did for Chile, although they should have won the Copa America in 2011 give the squad they had and they should have not lost to Venezuela at the quarter finals.
Thanks again.
Abdi
Hi Abdi.
You’re right. Nobody can deny Sir Alex’s trophy cabinet. I just wanted to take this opportunity to express my position on his coaching. It’s one that I’ve had for a very long time and not a result of these Bilbao matches.
Further, I think it’s beneficial if people can acknowledge the possibility that there may be more to look at than just the trophies. I would like them to think about how that’s possible. That, and maybe Britain, its managers, and style of play, probably shouldn’t be the role models for US Soccer. That maybe that’s not the gold standard.
As for the conclusions on these specific matches I have to disagree with you. Details aside, whatever squad Man United chose to field should man for man be superior to Athletic. No? Or are you saying that Bilbao players have more experience and quality?
These matches simply exemplified the strength that comes from having and actual team identity – a coherent and unwavering philosophy supported by rigorous ‘Set Tactical Work’.
It’s a pleasure having you here Abdi!
QMLSC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Haha Lmfao “this is why I wanted him so desperately for the US National team!”. Bielsa is a freak! They ask him ANYTHING about any given game and he could tell you exactly what minute it was on, what the score was, what the teams were struggling with, and the strengths lol. Huge wake up calls to those who have no clue!!
Yes sir!
And no generic, meaningless, BS lines like you get here in the States. He reveals everything in gory detail, whether people like it or not.
Gary, I welcome your use of examples such as Marcelo Bielsa and his Atletic de Bilbao to make your points. While we all admire the play of FC Barcelona, alternative examples give more depth to your arguments, and they help people like me to capture more nuance. The quality comments from many of your followers also help. I know I enjoy watching more than just FCB, and now I am learning why. Be assured- your insights are gradually oozing down the pyramid of US soccer, even if it will take some time for them to seep into its pores. Thanks, and keep up the good work.
Thank you Alberto!
You have no idea how much your encouragement helps.
Sometimes it’s very difficult for me to publish these things.
Gary,
I’ve been fascinated by the coaching approach of a set of elite coaches (Gaurdiola, Bielsa and Mourinho) for a while. There appears to be elements of their approach that are completely beyond our collective comprehension. They certainly appear to be far more complex than soccer coaches in the United States (Porter excepted perhaps). The one thing that these coaches emphasize is the mental part of the game. They are masters of player phycology and motivation, and prepare their team’s minds for the game through intense preparation.
I recently read Graham Hunter’s Barça with great interest. While the skill level of players either raised at the La Masia or brought into the club is peerless, the tactical approach used by Gaurdiola appears to be extreme as well. Part of the La Masia’s schooling appears to give the players a mental edge too. Fabregas mentioned that one of the most difficult things for him is the rigidity of the system at Barça as compared to Arsenal. Watching Barça, it appears to be a freewheeling total futbal with immense freedom for the players, and instead it is a finely oiled system defined through intense practice and drilling. The seeming freedom is defined by a restrictive system that is necessary to make it work.
Gaurdiola has some of the best players in the World at his disposal, yet makes tactical adjustments for every game, every opponent. Bielsa is the same thing, maybe taken to another level altogether. He adjusts and refines and attacks every game differently. Mourinho is the same thing again.
The one thing that makes Bielsa even more miraculous is the raw material he works with. His players are fantastic at Chile or Bilboa, but not to the level of Barça or Madrid, yet his results are fantastic. He certainty doesn’t have the aggregate quality of the players Ferguson had. Despite this Bilboa simply crushed Manchester United in both legs. Bielsa is the real deal.
The question is how can we learn from these geniuses? They approach the game totally differently from coaches in the United States (or England for that matter). We need a competitive edge and these guys offer something we simply don’t have. Part of their secret of success is simply intensity and devotion to the job, but another part of it is the technique and philosophy. It is the technique and philosophy of these geniuses that is generally foreign to US Soccer.
I lag in responding to you Bill since I’d like to do some justice to your post. So, I’ll take one of your paragraphs at a time.
1) Beautifully expressed, and I agree. This coaching thing is a profession. A craft. As such, there is a tremendous amount of subject matter expertise (riddled with subtlety) to acquire. Unless of course, your a hack. That’s what most can’t seem to grasp – I’m sure one of these days I’ll touch on why that’s the case.
The one thing I’ll point out is that the biggest gap that exists between these coaches and others is their capacity for “Set Tactical Work”, and hence establishing an identity. Meaning they actually have a tight and coherent team (one organism), not just 11 players running around.
2) You’re correct here as well. The players do not have freedom. Everyone has a supremely specific and rigid role on the field. And all those roles are choreographed and rehearsed into oblivion!
Further reference:
http://blog.3four3.com/2012/03/09/caleb-porter-took-a-dump-all-over-us-soccer/comment-page-1/#comment-21373
3) Yes, but so that others don’t misinterpret …
These coaches make “tactical adjustments” based on opponents in terms of personnel, sometimes formation, and slight tweaks in the roles of positions. BUT, and here’s the most important thing, the philosophy and identity does not change. The exception here is Mourinho. He is willing to go to another stylistic extreme at times (most notably when the opponent is Barca).
4) Yep. It is proof positive that you do not need the absolute best horses to play dominant, possession-based, attractive, attacking, and winning futbol!
You need the best coaches!
I hope we’re all starting to understand that little by little.
5) There’s lots of ways we can learn. Step #1 is for our soccer community at large to begin understanding that this is a profession, a craft, just like any other. That it’s not simple.
I can hear people in the background saying: “yeah, yeah, Gary, we understand that”.
But do they really? No, they don’t.
That’s the first step. Because if you don’t understand there’s tremendous richness in the profession, then you don’t think there’s much more to it than what you already know.
oh, you guys are Argentines, now the tone of this blog makes perfect sense.
Haha.
Correction. We were born and raised here.
But anyways … in all this time, you haven’t been to the about page?
I’m not sure what the point of this article is? To take a shot at Sir Alex or Man Utd?
”Bielsa is to coaches, what Messi is to players.” Haha – Now now relax. Didn’t Athletic Club get hammered by Valencia just a few days ago? There is still a long way to go for Bielsa to be considered with the elites Guardiola, Wenger, Mourinho, Sir Alex, Klopp etc…
I have no doubt Bielsa is an excellent tactician but you are going a bit over the top IMO. Bielsa inherited a young Athletic Club team with players _WHO_ caparros promoted and Javi Martinez/Herrera were both expensive club record signings for Athletic Club.
Sir Alex who? Mate do you know what he turned Man Utd when he took over? What he did to the academy and how he has turned many players into world class?
This blog post just seems like a poor job at trying to take a cheap jab at SAF and Man Utd.
P.S: I’m not a man utd supporter 😉
Hi Marc.
The point was to shine the light on what’s possible when a team has a clear playing identity. That the whole can be far greater than the sum of its parts.
Something only possible when a coach/manager/trainer not only has a crystal clear gold standard philosophy, but is capable of executing it.
And as far as that is concerned, few can even hope to touch Bielsa.
Guardiola didn’t just verbally concede that, but showed it through his actions.
You are correct in one thing though, Marcelo has a long way to go to be considered with your list. But that’s only true to the soccer layman.
Are you kidding me? What is this blog about? You may not be a united fan but are you a Bob Bradly fan? And if bielsa isn’t in the group of elite coaches like you said then why did Guardiola, a member of that group, say he’s the best? There is so much wrong with what you said and you sound like another fan who doesn’t know what a truely elite player or coach is. Did you even watch the man U v Bilbao games? Because if you did you would realize that it took a magnificent coach with extreme knowledge of the game and how it should be played to orchestrate the goals scored and the two wonderful wins over a power house like Man U.
Yes, I watched Athletic Club defeat a team that is going to a transition, I’m not being disrespectful to Bielsa and what he accomplished nor am I a bradley fan. I am European.
Yes, Pep did infact praise Bielsa and say he’s the best, But does his praise mean it’s the truth? I don’t think so, Infact Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Club might not even reach next season’s CL.
Question is though, Bren. If you think he’s in the bracket of elites, Can you explain why?
Again, I admire what he’s doing and his attacking philosophy implemented in a young Athletic Club side.
Okay okay calling you a bradley fan was a bit harsh. But if you look at what bielsa has acomplished and HOW he’s acomplished it, you would be realize that he belongs in that group of elite coaches. His tie with the best club in the world FCB 2-2 at home, the two wins over man united, reaching the copa del rey final and more. If you watch the atletico Bilbao games you would know that all his players think the same and play one style. His style. Playing simplistic futbol where all players are moving off the ball to create space for the person with the ball allowing the flow of play to continue with their possesion creating an attractive attacking form. This is just one component of his tactics that makes him such a great coach and it is also very similar to how barca play as well.
Bielsa’s teams have been jacking up more “established” teams for years. The Bilbao-Manchester or Barca-Bilbao results were nothing new for Bielsa. He’s been implementing his style and philosophy with different teams in different countries and continents for over 20 years! And, as Jose eloquently describes in his post a little further down this thread, Bielsa has acted with the inspirational class and dignity of a noble statesmen.
Bielsa has a long way to go? To where? He’s won domestic and international championships, coached and developed some of the best players in the world, and inspired footballing renaissances as national team coach of Argentina and Chile. Can Ferguson, Wenger or even Guardiola boast all of those achievements on their resumes?
It’s obvious that Bielsa’s going to keep doing what’s made him successful throughout these years no matter where he’s at. It’s our choice in the U.S., the U,K. or wherever whether we want to learn from him and his teams or start making excuses and throwing out straw men to obscure how unique and special and talent Bielsa truly is.
I watched Bilbao dismantle United and as a Chelsea fan…I would love to see Biesla take over at Stamford Bridge.
Well then the probability of Abramovic getting his Champion’s League trophy goes way up!
Bielsa will take over Barca when Pep leaves though.
Ah. I looked at your twitter timeline. You hate the English, and English teams. It all makes sense. Nice one.
Too simple Marc.
OK, I’ll bite.
It is because English soccer isn’t that good, its not what we should be aspiring toward. The English national team is exhibit A. They are massively over-rated. Premier League is Exhibit B. It is not very good either. Granted the loads of cash have allowed them to buy a bunch of good players (not from England) who raise the bar, but the type of soccer favored in England is outdated and poor. The English game favors physicality over skill resulting in a substandard product.
One problem is that English Soccer resonates with the American taste in Gladiator sports like American Football. It is not our model for success in the Soccer World, it is a model for stagnation and mediocrity.
Do we want to succeed? Then look at Spain and Germany where youth development has led resurgence at the National level and fueled a higher quality in the professional game. England is still wrestling the same demons we are.
The problem with this debate is that unless you know who Marcelo Bielsa is not only as a coach but as a football activist (I really can’t find a better word), any kind of comparison to any of the top coaches in the football world will sound disproportionate and outrageous.
I am Chilean, and I saw what this man did to our national football team and furthermore, to our society as a whole. Bielsa -through simply coaching the national football team- showed an entire country that success is not defined by results but for the sacrifice, vision and dedication you put forth. He worked hard to get Chile back in the football map and he was kind enough to hold our hands and walk us through the process and teach us not only about the game but also about the values and morals that we as society should always treasure. His teams are always a reflection of how men should behave: hard workers, generous with each other, always trying to accomplish their goals in the most aggressive yet honest and noble way.
Marcelo Bielsa achieved something that seemed impossible: he made us reevaluate the way we look at the game, and more importantly, the way we live our lives.
I love it Jose!
Thank you!
Allow me to add a dose of partiality here. I think Gary’s use of hyperbole was to due what he said, highlight what is possible when a team adheres to a clear identity and philosophy. However, as a Man United fan (have been always will be), I will have to defend Ferguson as well. Fergie has not simply won trophies (which is what he is paid to do by the way). He’s won them everywhere he’s gone. He’s turned around a Man United team that was floundering in mediocrity when he took them. He reinvigorated a youth set up that was non-existent as a developmental pipeline (obviously, not to the extent of a Barca but the point remains). He’s lasted the test of time and proved to be able to adapt, change, and reinvent. And he’s done so under tight financial reigns in comparison to the Milan’s and Madrid’s of the world. As rich as Man United are they have always been a frugal team in comparison to the money they bring in (yes they spend more than most, but no where near the level of the 2 other teams mentioned)
Would I consider him a tactical genious? No. He and Bielsa are very different coaches. But there is more to coaching than tactical expertise. Bielsa wins that round. But as compares building a club, creating a winning mentality and environment, mastering the psychology of the game I’d say Fergie wins it.
However, when discussing what we need most as a nation here in the US? At the moment, I’d say a Bielsa, which is what Gary is really getting at.
If I wasn’t clear, I am a huge Bielsa fan as well and they are getting ready to play on Espn Deportes in 15 minutes
Good, and well grounded, comments man. Although I can argue many of them.
Just as a side-note, I usually try to be careful with what I ACTUALLY say, and not overextend what I understand.
In this case, when I used Fergi to shine the light on Bielsa, I intentionally restricted myself to “tactical”. And for others reading the comments here, I want to make it abundantly clear this judgement didn’t render itself after 2 matches, it’s been rendered after 2 decades.
As for other qualities in a coach, I’ll just leave it at the following for now:
It’s too bad Fergi hasn’t gone anywhere else in 25 years.
It certainly would be interesting to see Ferg coach England at some point in the future. Alas, its not meant to be.
gary , Im a bielsa fan , but also as a menotti fan and romantisist of the game one thing I don’t agree with bielsa . He doesn’t leave anything to chance , or doesn’t beleive in “luck” . Everything has an explanation , and you now what just like in life some soccer moments you can’t explain. I don’t really now how to explain it . The mysticism of soccer ????? A goal on a free kick from sweeden ???in the 2002 world cup and elimination . Ramon diaz (im a river plate fan ) putting in a defender near the end of the game and scoring the winner on a bicycle kick , after the defender was pissed at him for not starting him. helping river be champs that year . I think he becomes to mechanical , the way his teams play , and become predictable . Search your stats , youll see he never has good outcomes against brasil ……… He has trouble with ego players for not followiing his orders . Thats why riquelme , hardly played with him , i think one tourney or couple of games , and really creative players never played with him , like d’allessandro , riquelme , aimar ………………….. Like him though he works , he doesn’t sell smoke…………………………..
Hi millo!
You have a totally fair assessment.
Here are my quick reactions in the form of a brain dump:
1) What’s predictable about Bielsa’s teams?
2) Even if things are predictable, the question is can you stop it?
3) I’ve always considered Riquelme one of the greatest talents ever! He was left off Bielsa’s team because a critical part of Marcelo’s philosophy is high pressing. In my opinion, Roman either didn’t want to put in the work (what I think is certainly the case), or he just couldn’t do it to the appropriate level. Either way, if a player doesn’t fit into the philosophy, you’re out. Otherwise the whole system crumbles.
4) Brian is the River Plate expert, but I think I remember the game you’re talking about. That’s a reason why I love this game too!
5) I know that you know stats don’t tell the whole story. But anyways, Brazil is always a challenge.
I wonder how close US Soccer really was to hiring Bielsa a year ago as technical director. Unfortunately, I get the impression the organization would have been unwilling to give him the freedom to implement his style…
it’s interesting you mention biesla.
im a huge fan but i think rafa benitez and pep guardiola are a cut above.pep might have learnt from him but he has taken it to another level.
biesla has never been able to make his team transit from a counter attacking team that is definately level two football to one that dominates possession,keeps the ball and keeps knocking on the door till they find an opening.rafa managed it to an extent and pep has.
but then what beisla was to pep,sacchi was to rafa