To the outside, the adulation that Leeds United supporters hold for Marcelo Bielsa may appear strange, bordering on fanatical, perhaps even delusional. But to those who have followed his every move over four exhilarating years at Elland Road, his departure leaves a hole not only in the dugout but also in the heart.
In Chile, they call themselves “widows of Bielsa”. The same sentiment can be found at Marseille and Athletic Bilbao, teams who look back on the Argentinian’s time with wide eyes and palpable nostalgia. Leeds are at the beginning of this undoubtedly painful process, coming to terms with life post-Bielsa, a life that will never quite be the same again.
