Bielsa brings new passion to Marseille
One night, unable to sleep, he roused his family from their beds, woke the staff, and trooped them out in their nightclothes to try out a tactical idea that had been bothering him.
Like some other stories about Bielsa it may be a myth, or at least an exaggeration.
He’s said to have climbed a tree to direct practice sessions because there wasn’t a stand at the training ground.
He’s said to have instructed his players on 26 ways of taking a throw-in.
He’s said to own more than 30,000 DVDs of games. He’s said to have addressed press conferences for three hours about his tactics.
Never mind. Even the reality is larger than life.
During his time in charge at Athletic Bilbao, he did hold a 90-minute press conference to report a complaint to the police — about himself.
And when he arrived at Marseille last summer, the club announced a contract lasting two years, whereupon Bielsa informed the media it was for one.
He then embarked on a public row with club president Vincent Labrune, accusing him of not signing the players he wanted and of signing a Brazilian defender he didn’t know about until he bumped into him in the dressing room (the unfortunate Matheus Doria, captain of Brazil’s U20 side, has yet to play).
Hardly the most auspicious start for the manager who left Bilbao in disarray in 2013 after reaching two finals the year before.
The 12-month sabbatical ought to have provided time for reflection, and here was Bielsa shooting from the hip and already in danger of putting a hole through his foot.
Yet five months on, Marseille stand proud at the top of the French league.
On Sunday more than 62,000 packed into the Stade Velodrome and roared the team to victory against Lille, ensuring a two-point lead over Lyon and three over champions Paris Saint-Germain. Monaco, the other moneybags, are placed fifth, nine points behind.
Heading into the winter break last season, Marseille were 15 points adrift of PSG, ending up 29 points behind. Lyon managed just a point better.
The turnaround is dramatic, and reassuring for those who feared that football in France would simply become a spending contest between the government of Qatar and a Russian in a tax haven.
Much credit goes to Lyon, but it is Bielsa’s Marseille that have caught the public imagination.
Eccentricity helps. French news monitoring company KantarSport says Bielsa managed 37,000 hits in two months, more even then media favourite, PSG star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But Bielsa’s tactics and methods have had a real impact.
As at Bilbao, Bielsa has been drilling his players intensively and their high-energy game has usually paid off. His methods are very demanding tactically as well as physically.
Players have to be constantly on the move and changing position. Striker André-Pierre Gignac, previously considered somewhat lethargic, has been transformed.
“Lose five kilos and you’ll score 25 goals,” Bielsa told him in pre-season. He’s scored 12 in 19 matches.
The young midfielder Giannelli Imbula also seems like a different player.
The team has definitely tapped into the ferocity and commitment of their home support.
The Velodrome has always been a cacophony of noise; now, newly renovated, it seems even more intimidating.
On their travels, the team have found it harder to maintain the same intensity, notably against the top sides.
The question marks against Bielsa’s Marseille revolution are much the same as there were at Bilbao. Can his players sustain their mental and physical efforts during the second half of the season?
His methods can work spectacularly, but the best sides are more equipped tactically, especially down the flanks. Marseille eventually lost their way against PSG in November, ending up with 10 men. They have also lost to Monaco and Lyon. But all those defeats against their rivals were away from home.
Marseille could yet bring Bielsa his first trophy in Europe.
