Marcelo Bielsa

Marcelo Bielsa

Personal information
Full name	Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera
Date of birth	21 July 1955 (1955-07-21)
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Athletic Bilbao (coach)
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	Club Atlas
1995–1996	Club América
1997–1998	Vélez Sársfield
1998	Espanyol
1998–2004	Argentina
2007–2011	Chile
2011–	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 (nicknamed Loco Bielsa, "Madman" Bielsa) (born July 21, 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 La Liga side Athletic Bilbao.

Bielsa managed not only football clubs but also the national teams of Argentina and Chile. In the latter country he has 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.

Life and career

As a child Marcelo 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. In 1992 he moved to Mexico where he had spells in charge of Club Atlas and Club América. In 1997 he returned to Argentina to manage Vélez Sársfield.

Managerial career

Early career

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.

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' golden medal prize. Argentina became the first Latin American team to win the Olympic title in football since 1928, when Uruguay defeated Argentina 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 October 15, 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 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 Marcelo Bielsa will not continue to lead the Chilean after completion the FIFA World Cup 2010, Chilean fans have campaigned to Marcelo Bielsa will remain the coach of the Chilean national team, called "Bielsa is NOT leaving!" On August 2, 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.

Relations with the press

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 beautiful game, a three- or even four-hour press conference is not out of the question.

“	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.	”
—Marcelo Bielsa

Methods

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.

Athletic Bilbao

Going into 2010–11 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. Teenager 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 Gaizka Toquero, and fellow 18-year-old Jon Aurtenetxe also impressed coach Caparros enough to claim the starting place at left-back for the start of the campaign before a bad injury finished his season early. 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.

Managerial stats

As of 31 May 2010.

Team		Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Eff
	Chile	76	42	23	7	12	59	41	+18	60.32%

Honours

Club

Newell's Old Boys

• Primera Division
  • Winner (2): 1990-1991, Clausura 1992
• Copa Libertadores
  • Runner-up: 1992 Copa Libertadores

Vélez Sársfield

• Primera Division
  • Winner (1): Clausura 1998

International

Argentina

• Olympic Games
  • Gold Medal (1): 2004 Olympic Games
• Copa América
  • Runner-up: 2004

Individual honours

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

External links

• Athletic Bilbao profile
• BDFutbol profile
• Transfermarkt profile
• 2010 FIFA World Cup profile