Marcelo Bielsa celebrating with Leeds United and Daniel Farke lifting the Championship trophy
Marcelo Bielsa and Daniel FarkeImago

Is Daniel Farke now a better manager for Leeds than Marcelo Bielsa ever was?

Max Wilkins

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior sports journalist with experience at GRV Media and VAVEL; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Exclusive content, statistical analysis, and deep-dive reporting across the Breaking Media network. THE INSIGHT Max utilises a network of club and industry contacts to deliver verified, exclusive reporting and data-driven insight. He provides the intelligence behind the stories to ensure fans get the full picture.

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Daniel Farke and Marcelo Bielsa are the best Leeds United managers in recent memory.

The Whites were in the wilderness for so long that many dared not dream of a return to the Premier League.

That was only reinforced when Derby County rocked up to Elland Road in 2019 and made their way to the play-off final.

Promotion was in the pipeline for the following season, but was followed just two seasons later by a dismal relegation campaign.

It then felt as if the dream was over, once again proven by play-off final defeat to Southampton at Wembley.

That is long forgotten now as everyone is looking to the future at Leeds as we ponder whether Bielsa or Farke have been better in LS11.

What did Marcelo Bielsa bring to Leeds United?

The Elland Road faithful will simply never forget the Argentine.

He is simply a legend in West Yorkshire after a four-year spell including two years in the Premier League.

The way he was sacked still hurts, but it won't distract from his legacy.

Bielsa took a struggling side and turned them into a force to be reckoned with in the Championship.

It wasn't as if he worked with the best players in the division, but he turned them into the best with his unique methods.

'Murder Ball' became a famed training method and certainly helped someone like Kalvin Phillips become a household name.

The likes of Liam Cooper, Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas were able to shine in the Premier League and it was all down to Bielsa.

El Loco brought the good times back to Elland Road in his own way and won't ever be forgotten.

Marcelo Bielsa celebrating with Leeds United and Daniel Farke lifting the Championship trophy
How Daniel Farke made Leeds United history after latest Elland Road development

Has Daniel Farke been better for Leeds than Bielsa?

It's fair to say that Farke took over the Whites in a much different position to the Argentine.

That doesn't take away from the work he did to create a winning mentality after relegation the year before.

He helped turn the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter into the players they are now, even if they couldn't help Leeds to promotion.

Once he finally got to the Premier League, the German dismissed talks of him being replaced before the campaign and proved a point with his change in approach.

Making his squad into a physically dominant outfit has paid dividends and made sure the threat of relegation wasn't even on the cards.

That made way for exciting deals to be done for Tarik Muharemovic and James Trafford to help transform Leeds into a side that can challenge further up the division.

European qualification is now the dream in LS11 and certainly doesn't look to be that optimistic after an excellent start to the season.

The way that Farke has turned Leeds into a stable Premier League side may be enough to carry him past Bielsa.

That will only be further reinforced if he can manage a Premier League finish in the top six.

It is a conversation that will always go on at Elland Road, but one that - if we're being truly honest - the German looks to be edging right now, as incredible as Bielsa was.

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