Andre Villas-Boas has claimed that Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa does deserve to be recognised by FIFA at some point in his career, but he said that he shouldn’t be in contention to win the award this time.
The Argentine has been named on a five-man shortlist for FIFA’s Best Men’s Coach award, but despite saying Bielsa deserves the award at some point, Villas-Boas claims that he isn’t one of the five best coaches of 2020.
“Bielsa must win a trophy of this type, in his career, for the proposed game, everyone recognizes it.” The ex-Tottenham manager said (via Marca).
“But … to be among the five best coaches of 2020? For winning the Championship? It’s a scandal. Tuchel he has won four titles and has been a finalist in the Champions League.”
Bielsa did a great job at Leeds, but is he one of the five best coaches in the world?
Villas-Boas is bound to say that Tuchel deserves the nod over Bielsa, after all, his PSG side were the ones who stopped his Marseille team from winning the league last year.
Whether or not Villas-Boas is right is up for debate.
There’s no doubting that Bielsa deserves some sort of recognition for what he’s done throughout his career, but to be considered one of the five best managers in the world for getting the biggest team in the Championship promoted is a little ludicrous.
We didn’t see Nuno Espirito Santo getting nominated when he won the Championship with Wolves and led them to the Europa League at the first time of asking, nor did we see Chris Wilder nominated for a similar feat with Sheffield United.
Of course, some disagree, and we can see their point.
Bielsa has a wider recognition within the game than those two, and he’s certainly earned his reputation, but he may not deserve this award for his achievements at Leeds.
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