Premier League English

Guardiola insistent that Bielsa will be ‘incredible’ for Premier League next season

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made a clarion call saying he believes Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa will be good for the Premier League with the club’s promotion from the Championships league.

Pep Guardiola said on Monday Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa will be an “incredible” addition to the Premier League next season after the Argentine Bielsa brilliantly masterminded Leeds’ return to the English top-flight after an arduous 16-year absence that even saw them hit rock bottom descending into League 1.

The former Marseille, Lazio and Argentina boss brought the Elland Road outfit their first silverware since 1992 as they clinched the Championship title on Saturday way ahead of their rivals.

Guardiola has often been full of praise for the 64-year-old in the past and he is excited to see the impact the Argentine can have on the Premier League come the following season.

“I was lucky to sometimes have the opportunity to talk with him, to see him. For world football, with his ethics, behaviour, the special way he plays – he is an authentic manager,” Guardiola told reporters.

“No other manager can play the way he plays. His product is always incredibly personal. No-one can imitate him. That makes him so special.

“I was not his player, but I know the reference and influence for one thousand million players that were with him and their opinion.

“It’s my personal opinion that for English football it will be incredible for him to be in the Premier League next season, to learn from him and his teams, the way he plays.”

Bielsa has not been a regular winner of silverware despite being long and widely admired for his commitment to a high-tempo, attacking style of play.

However former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola, who has won 29 major trophies in his career, insists that is not imperative.

“The knowledge you have as a manager does not depend on the results you have,” he said.

“The media and others judge on the results but the players judge managers through the knowledge they have.

“There are no doubts about the quality of this manager, Marcelo Bielsa and his knowledge, through the comments of the players that were with him.”

Salute to Bielsa for having inspired many from the current echelon of coaches and managers – and kudos to Guardiola for his humility and homage paid to the icons from an earlier era who are still logging honest time still devoting their time and wherewithal to bringing out the best despite the most challenging circumstances.