Marcelo Bielsa

Marcelo Bielsa

Personal information
Full name	Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera
Date of birth	(1955-07-21) 21 July 1955
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	(Manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1977–1978	Newell's Old Boys	25	(0)
1978–1979	Instituto
1979–1980	Argentino de Rosario
Total		25	(0)
Teams managed
1990–1992	Newell's Old Boys
1992–1994	Atlas
1995–1996	América
1997–1998	Vélez Sársfield
1998	Espanyol
1998–2004	Argentina
2007–2011	Chile
2011–2013	Athletic Bilbao
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Bielsa and the second or maternal family name is Caldera.

Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (locally: [marˈselo alˈβerto ˈβjelsa ˈkaldeɾa], nicknamed Loco Bielsa [ˈloko ˈβjelsa], English: Madman Bielsa; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine association football coach and former defender, born in Rosario, Santa Fe. He is considered one of the most innovative coaches in the modern era and is the current manager of the Spanish First Division side Athletic Bilbao. Bielsa has managed not only football clubs but also the national teams of Argentina and Chile. In the latter country he achieved cult status due to the improved results of the national team under his leadership. His personality and gestures have in Chile captured the attention of media and unleashed a series of minor controversies both in the area of sports and in politics.

In 1980 shortly after retiring from playing in professional football, Bielsa decided to start a new career as a football manager. His first assignment was coaching the youth divisions of Argentine club Newell's Old Boys. In 1990 Bielsa was given the task of managing Newell's first team where he would later go on to win the 1990 Torneo Apertura and the 1990–91 Torneo Integración defeating Boca Juniors in penalties. El Loco managed the squad that competed in the final of the 1992 Copa Libertadores losing to São Paulo on penalties. Weeks later after enduring defeat in the Copa Libertadores final, Bielsa and Newell's won the 1992 Torneo Clausura.

Early years

As a child, Bielsa opted to support Newell's Old Boys instead of neighbors and eternal rivals Rosario Central, the team his father passionately followed. Coming from a family steeped in politics and law, Bielsa decided to break with tradition by dedicating his life to the sport of football. His vocation was in stark contrast to that of his older brother Rafael who is a politician as of 2007, national deputy from the Capital District of Buenos Aires, while his sister María Eugenia is a former vicegovernor of the province of Santa Fe. He played as a defender in Newell's Old Boys' First Division Team, but soon retired at the age of 25. Bielsa went on to develop his career as coach in that team after qualifying as a physical education teacher. He led Newell's to several wins in the early 1990s. He moved to Mexico in 1992, briefly coaching Club Atlas and Club América. Bielsa returned to Argentina in 1997 to manage Vélez Sársfield.

Managerial career

The Argentine national team

In 1998 Bielsa was given the managers job at Espanyol but he soon left after being offered the Argentina job later that year, taking over after a four-year period by Daniel Passarella as manager. Argentina won the qualifiers to 2002 World Cup but did not go through the first round. Despite this, Bielsa was given a second chance to lead Argentina to major success and stayed on his position. Albicelestes were runners-up in 2004 Copa América and won the 2004 Olympic Games' gold medal. Argentina became the first Latin American team to win the Olympic title in football since 1928, when Argentina beat Uruguay in the Amsterdam final. Surprisingly, Bielsa resigned at the end of 2004 and José Pekerman became Argentina's manager.

The Chilean national team

Under his guidance the Chilean national team underwent many positive and negative historic firsts. Chile for the first time were able to earn a point playing Uruguay in Montevideo. Chile also suffered their worst defeat ever when playing at home during qualifiers losing 3–0 against Paraguay. This historic low was repeated again when Chile lost 3–0 against Brazil which also marked the first home loss against Brazil in a qualification game in nearly 50 years. On 15 October 2008, Bielsa masterminded a supremely well played match with a 1–0 win over his native Argentina; it was Chile's first win ever over Argentina in an official match and prompted the resignation of Argentina coach Alfio Basile. Chile soundly beat Peru in a 3–1 match in Lima, a location where Chile had its last victory in 1985. Bielsa then had Chile win 2–0 at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium against host Paraguay after almost 30 years. He and the Chilean national team continued the road to the World Cup with a victory over Bolivia, 4–0. After a 2–2 tie against Venezuela in Santiago and going to Brazil to lose 2–4 against them, the Chile national football team finally achieved qualification to the 2010 FIFA World Cup by defeating Colombia 4–2 which was also Chile's first ever away win against the Colombian team. By helping Chile to qualify to a World Cup after a 2 tournament absence, he reached almost an idol status in that country. Bielsa's appointment brought about visible changes in the Chilean set-up, with the fast-tracking of young talents and a more attacking mindset away from home. Considering the rumors that Bielsa will not continue to lead the Chilean after completion the FIFA World Cup 2010, Chilean fans have campaigned to Bielsa will remain the coach of the Chilean national team, called "Bielsa is NOT leaving!" On 2 August 2010, Harold Mayne-Nicholls, president of Chile's Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, announced that Bielsa will remain the coach of the Chilean National Selection until at least 2015. Bielsa stated that he would leave his position if Jorge Segovia were elected as President of the Chilean Football Board. He followed through on this threat, despite Segovia's election being annulled, and resigned in February 2011.

Athletic Bilbao

Going into 2011–12 Athletic were looking to build on the previous season and claim a European placing. The season started positively, with Llorente scoring several times in early games. The team's form, particularly away from home, was not consistent enough for them to mount a challenge for 4th Champions League but similar lapses by other teams meant there was still a chance of qualifying for the Europa League. This was eventually achieved with one match remaining, with Athletic moving clear of early-season successes Espanyol after a series of narrow victories including 2–1 wins over basque rivals Osasuna and Real Sociedad in successive weeks. A defensive injury and suspension crisis midway through the season led to Borja Ekiza, previously only a member of the B squad, being drafted in at centre-half, and his performances were solid enough for him to retain his place for the remaining games. Muniain also started almost every match, mostly on the left wing where he could use his trickery to supply Llorente and his hard-working but technically limited support striker Toquero, and fellow 18-year-old Aurtenetxe also impressed coach Caparrós enough to claim the starting place at left-back for the start of the campaign before a bad injury finished his season early.

On 3 October 2011, Bielsa, a devout catholic, visited the Poor Clares of Guernica alongside his wife. He wanted them to pray for his team, which they have done ever since. The signing of Spanish Under-21 midfielder Ander Herrera was agreed well before the end of the season, although the young star elected to stay with formative club Real Zaragoza as a gesture of respect as they battled against relegation. However the players began to adjust to the changes as the season progressed, and following an away victory at local rivals Real Sociedad. Athletic produced a good run of Autumn form which included wins over Paris St-Germain, Osasuna and Sevilla as well as credible draws with Valencia and Barcelona only to drop points at home to newly-promoted Granada. The team also finished top of their Europa League group and defeated Lokomotiv Moscow in the last 32. Athletic then drew Manchester United and in impressive style won 3–2 in the first leg at Old Trafford, going on to knock them out of the tournament with a 2–1 victory at home, a victory which was just as impressive as the one at Old Trafford. In the quarter-final, they went to Schalke and won the first leg 4–2, despite being 2–1 down after a Raúl brace on 72 minutes. Bilbao drew the second leg against Schalke 2–2, going through to the Europa League semi-finals with a favorable aggregate score of 6–4, to face Sporting Lisbon. Athletic lost the first leg of the semi final 2–1 in Portugal. They overturned this result in the return leg and ran out 4–3 winners on aggregate when Llorente scored the winner in the 88th minute. They were now set to face Atlético Madrid in an all Spanish Europa League final. They lost 3–0 to Atletico Madrid on 9 May in the Europa League final at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania. On 25 May 2012, they also lost the Copa del Rey Final against Barcelona in Vicente Calderón, Madrid with score 3–0.

Unique Methodology

A fanatic of football videos that he adds to his collection, Bielsa on occasion checks pitch measurements by pacing them out before deciding on a particular formation. He allocates separate training times for different parts of his squad. Former Argentine national team captain Roberto Ayala and defender under Bielsa stated "Sometimes we wouldn't see any of the strikers, because he'd have them training at a different time, and it was the same with the midfielders. He's an innovator, and one of the people who I've learned most from during my career."

He is known for watching and collecting numerous soccer videos to the point of obsession. He edits and analyzes each video for each individual player. He also utilizes statistical software and other technological tools to prepare for games. John Carlin, an english journalist, has stated that Bielsa "has the most cultured library of soccer in the world. His resources are infinite, he is a step ahead of most coaches out there, including Ferguson and van Gaal. The man is serious and there is a high intellectual component in his method.

His leadership is based on serious methodology and very formal conversation that seems awkward and odd for players, especially in the beginning. However through these methods of obsessive formality he has managed to convince his players to play attacking football in all teams he has coached. Athletic Bilbao's striker Fernando Llorente said in an interview "At first he seems tough and he may even annoy you with his persistence and don't-take-no-for-an-answer resilience, but in the end he is a genius. he convinces you to keep working and running and it can be seen in his teams' games and practices. He knows more than anyone in the world, he is elite. Once you get used to him you love him." Barcelona's Pep Guardiola called him the "best manager in the world" in 2012. 3–3–1–3 is his signature formation.

Relations with the press

As Bielsa refuses to grant exclusive interviews, the press conference has become his preferred method of communication. He has been known to field every last question from the assembled media during these gatherings. If the talk turns to the intricacies of the game, a three- or even four-hour press conference is possible. According to him: Every section of the media should get the same attention from me, from the capital's most prominent TV channel to the smallest newspaper in the provinces.

Managerial statistics

As of 19 May 2013.

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %
Argentina	1998	2004	700168000000000000068	700142000000000000042	700116000000000000016	700110000000000000010	700161760000000000061.76
Chile	11 July 2007	4 February 2011	700166000000000000066	700134000000000000034	700112000000000000012	700120000000000000020	700151520000000000051.52
Athletic Bilbao	7 July 2011	Present	7002110000000000000110	700143000000000000043	700130000000000000030	700137000000000000037	700139090000000000039.09
Total			7002244000000000000244	7002119000000000000119	700158000000000000058	700167000000000000067	700148770000000000048.77

Honours

Club

Newell's Old Boys

• Primera Division
  • Winner: 1990–91, Clausura 1992
• Copa Libertadores
  • Runner-up: 1992 Copa Libertadores

Vélez Sársfield

• Primera Division
  • Winner: Clausura 1998

Athletic Bilbao

• Copa del Rey
  • Runner-up: 2011–12
• UEFA Europa League
  • Runner-up: 2011–12

International

Argentina

• Olympic Games
  • Gold Medal: 2004 Olympic Games
• Copa América
  • Runner-up: 2004

Individual honours

IFFHS' World's Best National Team Coach of the Year 2001.

External links

• Profile at BDFutbol.com
• Profile at Athletic-club.com
• Marcelo Bielsa at Fifa.com
• Marcelo Bielsa at Transfermarkt.com