‘Fascinating’ – Leeds Under-23s coach opens up on Bielsa’s methods at Thorp Arch
Leeds United Under-23s coach Darren Arnott has said that there’s been a huge development in the mental side of the game at Leeds since Marcelo Bielsa took over.
A lot is made about Bielsa’s quest for fitness, with tough training sessions. Less is said about how Bielsa’s direct methods have affected the mental development of players.
Talking on West Yorkshire Sport Daily (BBC Radio Leeds, Wednesday, 6pm), Arnott said there are no scapegoats at Leeds and that everyone, from the coaches to the players, takes responsibility for their own actions and their own mistakes.
“That’s a no-no, it’s a culture of responsibility,” said Arnott.
“If I haven’t done my job properly I’ll hold my hands up and go away and work harder to rectify that. That’s no different to any player in any of the teams at Leeds United.
“Everyone’s big enough and strong enough to step up and take responsibility and I think there’s a lot of respect for that.”
Asked whether that meant blunt criticism was handed out to the players, Arnott said, “That’s something that’s been amplified with the manager’s methods. There’s no place to hide.
“Last season, some of the young English players not brought up on a diet of direct feedback shall we say, it was difficult for them to take.
“Looking back 12 months to seeing how they’d react compared to now, it’s the polar opposite.
“It’s fascinating to see, the social side of it, their ability to take on information in an emotional environment has increased and they can now take it and use it properly without having an emotional reaction themselves.
“People talk about development being physical, tactical and technical in training, but no one really focuses on the mental side of things and there’s been a massive development here.”
Like Arnott said, this is fascinating.
We’ve always thought that the Bielsa way is holistic but this shows how every area of the players’ development has been thought through.
With stories about tantrums, occasional bullying and even actual violence in training grounds in the modern game, it’s refreshing to know that things are done differently at Leeds.
Bielsa himself has never been slow to take responsibility if he feels he’s got things wrong during a game.
And he doesn’t shy away from making tough decisions, but also takes responsibility for actions that could have a detrimental effect on his players’ well being – like when he apologised to Tyler Roberts after subbing him after he’d come on as a sub in the game against West Brom.
Most managers would shut down discussion and say it was their decision to make. Bielsa acknowledges that decisions have consequences.
It’s yet another example of how lucky Leeds are to have him as a manager. Every single fan will be praying he gets to manage the side in the Premier League next season.
In other Leeds news, MOT Super Fans: Verdict as Ayala and Kamara linked with moves to Leeds