Sam Allardyce can’t believe what Jesse March did to Leeds after Marcelo Bielsa left: ‘Wow’
Sam Allardyce has accused Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia of letting Leeds United’s fitness levels drop after Marcelo Bielsa’s exit.
During Bielsa‘s much-heralded Leeds tenure (2018-22), opposition players and managers use to marvel at the running power of his charges.
After guiding the Elland Road outfit to a Premier League promotion in 2020, before leading them to a ninth-placed finish in the top-flight the following campaign, the Argentine was sacked in February 2022 after four straight losses.
Former RB Leipzig boss Marsch managed to keep Leeds up on the final day of the 2021-22 season, before being dismissed in February 2023.
Javi Gracia then took up the reins until May of that year, and when Allardyce was parachuted in for the final few games of the campaign, the ex-West Ham boss was shocked by what he saw.
Sam Allardyce points finger of blame at ex-Leeds duo
On the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, ex-Everton manager Allardyce said that under Bielsa, Leeds were the fittest team in the league.
But after Marsch and Gracia had had their way with Leeds’ players, their fitness levels plummeted. Marsch said Leeds were “overtrained” under Bielsa but it seems the subsequent coaches may have gone too far the other way.
He said on the podcast with Leeds legend Eddie Gray, “Bielsa had the top physical stats in the Premier League, so Leeds United were number one. So when I got to Leeds after two managers, I think, ‘At least they’re fit’.
“The two managers after Bielsa [Marsch and Gracia] allowed the physical stats to drop into the Premier League as the bottom three.
“I remember I was manager of West Brom when they came down. But they [Leeds] were still going in the last 20 minutes, as fast as they were going in the first 20 minutes. And I went, ‘Wow’.
“So, why why did the two previous coaches allow that to slip?”
Allardyce added that fitness is the most important thing to establish in a team if they want to be successful.
Gray concurred with Allardyce, saying under Bielsa, there wasn’t a fitter team in the Premier League than Leeds. In the end, Leeds got relegated, with Allardyce suggesting the damage had already been done before he got there.
Daniel Farke honouring Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds legacy
Bielsa’s legacy has cast a very long shadow at Leeds. Every manager that comes after the former Argentina boss is measured against the Elland Road legend.
No coach can seemingly live up to his lofty expectations, not only because of his character but also through the way he got his Leeds team playing.
However, Farke has done a very good job at the Yorkshire outfit so far. He led them to the Championship title last season and this term, they are currently meeting their objective to stay in the Premier League.
The football may not be as sparkling or as lung-busting, but Leeds are one of the fittest sides in the league – and that is massively down to Farke’s approach and standards.
Allardyce has since praised the German for making Leeds an uber-fit team this season, with the Whites repeatedly showing their battling qualities right until the full-time whistle.
They are six points clear of the relegation zone but plenty of tests lie ahead. However, their fitness levels are certainly standing them in good stead.
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