Leeds fans have taken to Twitter to react after Rio Ferdinand questioned Marcelo Bielsa’s ability to work with big-name footballers.
What’s the story?
Well, Ferdinand was speaking on his YouTube channel, in response to a claim about how it would be interesting to see Bielsa work with bigger names.
Strangely, the BT Sport pundit questioned the £153,846-a-week Leeds man, and said he doubts if established players would take on his ideas.
Ferdinand said: “The big thing about Bielsa is that, has he got it right with big-name players?
“To do it with players that are desperate for a career, players that are playing in the lower leagues and players that just want to be taken to the top. They want to be on that ride and journey to the top. They will do anything for you.
“The trick is, getting an established player to change the way that you do things, change their mindset, change their output on a daily basis, physically, to mad levels.”
For a start, we don’t appreciate Ferdinand playing down how difficult it is to coach players from the lower leagues into Premier League regulars.
The ex-Manchester United man speaks as if it was easy for Bielsa to transform the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Luke Ayling into top-flight players.
Furthermore, his remark about Bielsa’s ability to work with big names just doesn’t make sense, given what the Argentine has done previously.
Who did Marcelo Bielsa work with before Leeds?
Ferdinand clearly has a short memory, as Bielsa has successfully coached a number of big-name stars in the past.
The 66-year-old has worked with the likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Alexis Sanchez, Aymeric Laporte and Diego Simeone.
Crucially, he didn’t just work with them. All four, among others, have credited Bielsa for his efforts, and admitted Bielsa made them better footballers.
The likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Ben White have also showered the South American in praise, as Planet Football document.
Clearly, Ferdinand has misjudged Bielsa.
For now, let’s see what the Leeds fans on Twitter have been saying about his comments…
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