Marcelo Bielsa’s latest project at Lille is turning to an epic failure, four games into the French Ligue 1 season. The Great Danes find themselves in far worst position than they were prior to the Argentine’s arrival.
LOSC hasn’t been the same since they won that famous double in 2011. Led by the charismatic Rudi Garcia, the club clinched their third league title by almost a 10 point margin, while also beating Paris Saint-Germain to the Coup de France. That remarkable feat made them the specimen for other clubs; flaunting a well-structured system, vibrant coaching staff and talented young prospects. Ironically, same time, one of France most-respected teams, Monaco, was languishing in the fringes.
Fast forward six years later, the table appears to have turned. Monaco is back among the elites with Les Dogues, playing catch-up to the Principality club. A shadow of its previous self, LOSC previously adored youth setup, which produced the likes of Eden Hazard, has suddenly gone asleep. And the club’s identity became a bit lost during constant transitioning of coaches and presidents.
However, a drastic change in fortune was predicted as soon as former Argentina and Chile coach, Marcelo Bielsa, took over the reigns in May. Not the most-decorated managers in the world, the 62-year-old has almost a cult following due to his profound impact on modern football. Diego Simeone, Mauricio Pochettino and Jorge Sampaoli are just a few of his current acolytes. Even Pep Guardiola sought his advice at the start of his managerial career.
“My admiration for Marcelo Bielsa is huge because he makes the players much, much better. Still, I didn’t meet one guy, a former player from Marcelo Bielsa who speaks no good about him. They are grateful for his influence on their careers in football. He helped me a lot with his advice. Whenever I speak with him I always feel like he wants to help me.” - Guardiola told Goal in February.
So his return to Ligue 1 was expected to lighten up the gloomy Stade Pierre-Mauroy. That exactly happened. As soon as the 62-year-old arrived, everything changed. He brought about an all-new positive and exciting vibe to French football on multiple levels. His famous obsessive use of videos to prepare for matches wasn’t left behind.
Bielsa’s first objective was to alter the club’s training methods, putting greater emphasis on tactical analytical sessions. Typical ‘El loco’, he overhauled the team’s squad. Replacing almost the entire starting eleven players including Vincent Enyeama and former club captain Rio Mavuba, with new young players such as former Paris Saint-Germain man Mike Maignan, ex-Angers player Nicolas Pepé, Brazilian Thiago Mendes and Paraguayan Junior Alonso. It was as if he was building an entirely new team with little or no funding.
After an intensive and impressive pre-season, Les Dogues fans began to dream again. The first match of the season against Claudio Ranieri’s Nantes gave them, even more, grounds to do so. Their team displayed an incredible appetite to attack, winning 3-0. However, their joy didn’t last for too long. Bielsa’s team has struggled in subsequent games. They crashed to Strasbourg and Caen before forcing a point at Angers SCO. This leaves the modest side in 13th place with four points from four games.
The results of the last couple of weeks further raise a big question mark over Bielsa’s coaching style and man-management skills. Yet, it’s his unpredictable system and personality which may be affecting his new team. He walked away from Marseille after the first game of the season and repeated same at Lazio after just 48 hours. If nothing changes, we could see Bielsa thrill us once more with his trademark exit.
