http://www.theguardian.com/football...15/dec/17/marcelo-bielsa-manager-swansea-city
After an initial stumble in his first two matches, a breathlessly frustrating 3-3 draw with Bastia and a 2-0 home defeat to Montpellier, the Bielsa effect began to take hold – and the former Chile and
Athletic Bilbao boss oversaw a glorious run of eight consecutive victories. Thanks in no small part to the prodigious goalscoring talents of André-Pierre Gignac up front, Bielsa’s well-documented hard-pressing philosophy had been embraced by the players and, as a result, they were operating with optimum efficiency and fluidity.
They alternated between his trademark 3-3-1-3 and a more conservative – but equally effective – 4-2-3-1. Although it differed slightly in shape from some of the Bielsa teams down the years, the philosophy was very much the same. Through a combination of tireless workrate and intelligent positioning,
Marseillebamboozled a number of teams as they rode the crest of a wave in September and October, recording resounding victories over Nice, Rennes and Reims.
By the start of December, Marseille were top of the table and plenty of column inches in the French press had been dedicated to portraying Bielsa as a mastermind coach. Marseille’s talented squad was tested to the extreme by their coach’s intensive, militaristic methods in training, but they were responding to his charisma – and his vision.
“The workouts are intense but enlightening, technically and tactically,” said Gignac. “He knows everything to the smallest detail. I glanced at his training schedules; there are hundreds of them and every one featured games he analysed. He taught us a vibrant, real type of football.” This snapshot of glowing praise from one of Bielsa’s prized assets illustrated exactly how he can enrapture footballing minds. Marseille’s young and technically gifted players were desperate for a leader and, with Bielsa’s level of meticulousness now available to them, they bagged themselves a pretty good one.
