Leeds United centre-back Pontus Jansson has raved about the impact of manager Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road, describing the Argentine as ‘special.’
Bielsa has come in and transformed Leeds this season, with his intensive training methods and unorthodox tactical approach reaping huge rewards so far as they sit top of the Championship after 26 games.
Sweden international Jansson has now highlighted the role that Bielsa has played in turning their fortunes around this season as they aim for promotion to the Premier League after a 15-year absence.
In an interview with Sky Sports, he said: “He is special. He works on everything that he can and every training session is prepared with things that could happen in the game. When we played Aston Villa we knew they were a team who put a lot of crosses in, so the whole training session was defending crosses.
“Another week we will be playing a team who defends a lot in their own half, so we will train how to build up and create chances like that. That’s the biggest difference between him and other coaches I have worked with so far.”
OPINION
It is no secret that Bielsa has been key to Leeds’ success so far this term, with the Argentine having an immediate impact in West Yorkshire since his arrival in the summer. Bringing in such a well-regarded and experienced coach was viewed as a massive coup for the Whites at the time, although some highlighted the risk involved, with Bielsa having no previous in England while also being known for his unorthodox and sometimes-controversial methods. Those methods have luckily gone down a treat amongst a squad which was crying out for some leadership and fresh ideas, both of which Bielsa has given them in abundance. It is obvious from Jansson’s comments here that the players love Bielsa, and that is a really positive sign heading into the business end of the season. Leeds just need to keep this up for another few months and they will finally achieve what they have been waiting for for 15 years.