Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has claimed Leeds United would be in the Championship if he was in charge in a compliment to the job done at Elland Road by Marcelo Bielsa. The former Whites head coach is not short of admirers and Guardiola is certainly one of them as he has spoken fondly of 'El Loco' on numerous occasions.
Guardiola also suggests the famous Barcelona side he led to 14 trophies would have achieved more had they been guided by Bielsa. As translated by journalist Juan Arango, Guardiola told Telemundo Sports: "Give Bielsa my Barcelona and see how much [more] he wins. Give me his Leeds side and we would be in the Championship."
Bielsa secured promotion as Leeds boss at the second time of asking, guiding his side to the Championship title in 2020. He remained with the club following promotion and his daring philosophy pushed Leeds into the top half of the Premier League in the 2020/21 campaign. However, the Whites slipped into a relegation battle under his watch this season and his stay was brought to an end in February.
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Guardiola did battle with Bielsa on three occasions in the Premier League, only coming out on top once. Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road last season before losing to a late Stuart Dallas winner at the Etihad Stadium. However, they were ruthless in their 7-0 dismantling of the Whites in December.
The Manchester City boss is arguably the most revered coach in world football but he could have followed a different path had it not been for Bielsa. As documented by Sky Sports, a meeting at Bielsa's home which is said to have lasted 11 hours helped convince Guardiola to step into management following retirement from playing. Jesse Marsch will be on the touchline when Guardiola returns to West Yorkshire later this month and under the American, Leeds have stabilised and have not lost any of their last four league games.
There are similarities between his style and the one implemented by Bielsa but there are also distinct differences which the squad appear to have adapted well to. They now sit 16th in the Premier League table and have a nine-point lead over 18th-placed Burnley.
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