In an interview with The Athletic, Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani opened up about the sacking of former manager and club legend Marcelo Bielsa for the first time.
Speaking to David Ornstein and Phil Hay, the Italian shared a sentiment that is what many of us would have agreed with:
“I’d never thought to sack Bielsa… I never thought this moment could happen, ever,”
“He was a legend and he is a legend for what he achieved.”
The man was a hero to all. He’d reinvigorated a sleeping giant. 16 years away from England’s elite competition has come to an end with just two seasons under the Argentine. The players, the staff, the fans, the city – all had a fresh passion and culture.
A mural of Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa under the Spanish translation of ‘Marching on Together’ close to Elland Road REUTERS/Carl Recine
However, all good things, eventually, come to an end. The excitement of the great success of the first season back in the top-flight was starting to diminish when it took 7 games to finally record a first win of the 2021/22 season, and then a February in which the club conceded a Premier League-record 17 goals, there were worries throughout the entire community.
“The moment I started to have a doubt was when we drew 3-3 [away to Aston Villa]. I remember the media talking positively about our performance. The reality for me, at half-time I almost wanted to leave the stadium because I was so disappointed by the lack of discipline on the pitch and how easy it was to score against us. That was the first moment I realised maybe something’s wrong and the team cannot execute anymore what he’s been asking for the last years. They had started to become tired, mentally more than physically. I felt something was broken and that’s when you have a tipping point, but it was too soon to take a decision.”
Bielsa had never before managed a club for more than two seasons prior to taking the Leeds job, and El Loco‘s wonderful short-term strengths soon became longer-term shortcomings.
“At the end, I realised Marcelo had only one way, that he could not compromise with this way… I could see that the players, emotionally and physically, were really at the end. We needed to change, we needed something to impact the group. It was risky both ways.”
“It wasn’t easy to decide whether to potentially die with him or die with someone else.”
A devastating 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur was Bielsa’s final game at Leeds REUTERS/Ian Hodgson
Racine, Wisconsin-born Jesse Marsch was touted as a potential successor for a long time: his style of play was as close to Bielsa’s as a top manager could get, and the San Francisco 49ers’ stake in the club added to the idea that this could indeed be a likely move.
On the 27th of February, after 4 beautiful years, the deed was done. Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United, the match that many thought was made in heaven, was finally torn apart.
“I told him face to face. It was very different to every meeting I had with him. In every meeting normally, he was open to a long conversation. In this case, he probably didn’t expect it because I always supported him unconditionally. I saw him hurt and speechless for the first time.”