Well, it’s looking like the beginning of the end for Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United.
What a rollercoaster it has been for Leeds with the enigmatic Argentine manager at the front.
However, the Whites’ 4-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon is making it increasingly harder for Bielsa to remain as United manager.
The Elland Road outfit have now conceded a stunning 20 goals in their last five Premier League outings and change might be coming.
According to BBC Sport, former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde is among the coaches who Leeds could hire to replace the 66-year-old.
The report adds that Victor Orta, director of football in West Yorkshire, personally knows Valverde, who is out of work right now.
The 58-year-old hasn’t worked in football since being fired by the Camp Nou outfit a little over two years ago but, during his time in Catalunya, he did have a certain Lionel Messi on his side.
Messi once praised Valverde as a ‘perfect’ tactician following a victory over Real Betis in 2019.
The now-Paris Saint-Germain footballer said: “Valverde read things well and prepared the game plan well. Tactically it was perfect. Sometimes you have to adapt to the opposition.”
Ironically, failing to adapt to the opposition is Leeds’ biggest problem under Bielsa, hence why the Whites continue to concede such a frightening amount of goals.
And in light of Messi’s comments, it does look like Valverde might be an upgrade on the South American.
Bielsa’s overall influence at Elland Road is unmatched and it’ll take years for Leeds to hire a more influential manager, such was his impact, but it might be the beginning of the end.
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