Eddie Nketiah admits pros and cons to Marcelo Bielsa Leeds United ways amid Jesse Marsch claim
Marcelo Bielsa’s training methods did lead to injuries but also made the players better, according to former Leeds United loanee Eddie Nketiah.
The Argentine’s successor Jesse Marsch caused some controversy earlier this month when he told talkSPORT the injury issues at the club this year were a result of the players being “overtrained”.
Criticising him in any way caused surprise, and even furious condemnation from the likes of Whites legend Johnny Giles, but Nketiah had a more balanced view.
The Gunners forward told The Beautiful Game Podcast: “It’s difficult man. It’s difficult to say where’s it’s wrong because I felt like to be fair, he was getting the best out of the players that he had. To be fair everyone was improving a lot, even myself.
“I won’t lie, training was hard man. Sometimes I like to go and eat, I can’t remember going out to eat any times, I [was] going back home to sleep. I’d be coming back like, ‘I’m actually knackered’.
“Wow, and that’s probably the first time I really felt like I’ve been pulled out of my comfort zone, almost every day that I’m coming in like, ‘I need to rest so I could be ready for training’.
“It’s good. I feel like obviously it’s difficult, you see that you get a lot of injuries, because over time to sustain that intensity whilst playing like that every game is just difficult, but in terms of development point of view, it does help a lot.”
Shades of grey
This perspective should really end the debate over whether Bielsa’s methods were wrong or Marsch’s comments were wrong.
Two things can be true at the same time and it seems logical that they were both right in their own way.
Clearly the former boss’ ways worked otherwise he wouldn’t be revered across the city and have people standing up for him over the training issue.
But he is not infallible, hence why he is no longer in charge at the club, and if the new manager did not have any different opinions to the man he replaced there would have been no point in making the change.
Some will always wish it wasn’t made, but the trajectory under the former Argentina and Chile coach was clearly heading in one direction and has switched since he was moved on.
It doesn’t undercut his achievements at the club though, and considering he turned a squad full of reasonable Championship players into top flight and international performers shows extreme ways of working were required.
It seems fair to acknowledge both that he was proven right to use those methods as it took United back to the Premier League after a long absence, but it was probably unsustainable long term and did also lead to injuries.
In other Leeds United news, the club could be set to benefit after all from the Chelsea game being moved.