Ricardo Lunari is not a name who should be familiar in Britain. But his comments about Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa are so telling, about one of the most fascinating men working in British football.
Bielsa has transformed Leeds United from mid-table also-rans to promotion frontrunners, and he is just nine games away from getting them to the Premier League.
Lunari knows what success under Bielsa feels like. He was part of the Argentine boss’ title winning side at Newell’s Old Boys in the early 90s in their South American homeland.
Since then, Lunari went onto play for clubs in Spain and Portugal as well as in Argentina and Bolivia, before retiring in 2003 and becoming a manager.
Currently he is working for Argentine side Colon, and in an interview with Marca, he was asked hypothetically whether he would run to join Bielsa at Leeds United.
He responded: “It would be very difficult to say no, but it is not easy to say yes either.
“Bielsa gives you everything, but demands 100%. It is giving your life to him during the time you work with him. I am sure I would regret saying no.”
Lunari’s comments reflect the total commitment Bielsa demands of his players, and his Leeds United squad have responded well to him during his two years at the club.
He added that not everybody liked Bielsa’s methods, commenting: “Marcelo does not leave you indifferent, either you love him or you hate him.”
The Whites were really clicking before the break, winning five games in succession before the global crisis led to a the league being paused.
Now Leeds are preparing for a restart later this month, in which Bielsa will try to guide the club towards the top flight and complete his first mission objective at Elland Road.
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