Rodgers might not share the mythical status enjoyed by Marcelo Bielsa but, in truth, very few do.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers admits that he has been inspired by the style-above-success mentality of legendary tactician Marcelo Bielsa, the BBC report.
Rodgers divided opinion during his spell at Liverpool for his open, attacking approach, with the freedom afforded to Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling eventually undermined by the team’s disregard of their defensive duties as they threw away the Premier League title in 2013/14.
However, the Northern Irishman has not been affected by such criticism, with his Celtic side currently ten points clear at the top of the Scottish Championship having scored 11 goals more than the league’s next most prolific outfit, Hearts.
And Rodgers says his managerial and tactical approach has been influenced by the madcap manager known colloquially as ‘El Loco’ for his uber-attacking gameplan and volatile personality.
“There are some coaches I look at and respect all around the world, guys like Bielsa, who I have followed intently all my life,” Rodgers told the BBC.
“A brilliant coach, an innovator of players and teams and maybe he hasn’t won a whole bagful of trophies over the course of his career.
“But he has had brilliant teams set up that I have always admired and that doesn’t make him any worse or less a coach than anyone else.”
The 61-year-old Argentine has been heavily cited as an influence for some of the most progressive managers in the game, such as Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, despite having never won a major trophy in any of Europe’s major leagues.
However, Bielsa has exhilarated neutrals and fans alike with his swashbuckling, tireless approach and popularisation of the modern ‘high-press’, with his Athletic Bilbao honing the technique to perfection when destroying Manchester United in the Europa League in 2012.
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