Leeds United have impressed under Marcelo Bielsa this season.
Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich has told The Mirror that pre-season training under Marcelo Bielsa was ‘very difficult’ – and his teammates even complained about it.
The Whites landed a major coup when they brought in Bielsa as their new boss, securing him as Paul Heckingbottom’s replcement in a shock move.
Bielsa’s reputation is famous at this point. ‘El Loco’ provides an attractive, intense brand of football that gets fans on side, but his methods require incredible commitment and fitness.
Some players have burnt out under Bielsa due to his high-energy style, and whilst Leeds have so far impressed, some are worried that they will eventually fall off.
Leeds sit third in the Championship table, and Bielsa has been a huge part of their success, even improving the fortunes of some fringe Leeds players, such as midfielder Klich.
Having been cast aside and then loaned out to Utrecht in January, the Pole appeared to have little future at Elland Road, but has become a key part of Bielsa’s midfield with five goals and five assists in 17 Championship games.
Now, Klich has revealed that pre-season training was ‘very difficult’ as it was all gym work and tactics, leaving the Leeds players ‘exhausted’ and even complaining, as they trained harder than before – but they understand what Bielsa wants to achieve with the club.
“It was a very difficult period, we ran a lot, worked out in the gym and then we worked on tactics,” said Klich. “We were exhausted. Some of my team-mates complained, but we respect our coach and we quickly understood what he was planning to achieve.”
“We train harder than ever before, but we enjoy it. Everyone believes that he can help us become better players and that is why we have to listen to him,” he added.
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