Ian Holloway admits he almost cried when Leeds United sacked Marcelo Bielsa

Ian Holloway has admitted to nearly shedding a tear when Leeds United sacked Marcelo Bielsa but predicts the Whites to climb back to the Premier League.

Bielsa guided Leeds back to the Premier League in 2020 for the first time since the 2003/04 campaign so it was a tough pill to swallow for Holloway when the Argentine manager was forced out of Elland Road due to a poor run of heavy defeats and the threat of relegation bearing down.

His style of football and unique management at the club was idolised by some, with Holloway clearly an admirer of Bielsa, becoming upset when learning of his departure in 2022.

"Leeds held onto a good squad [following relegation]. It's very difficult to come down when Leeds did, there are a lot of changes," he said, as quoted by Football League World on Wednesday (20 December).

“But they've got a nucleus of a Premier League side there. For me, it's the hardest thing to do.

“They had been down in the doldrums and got back to the Premier League with the absolutely magnificent [Marcelo] Bielsa. I almost shed some tears when he left! He was so different and unique.

“But Leeds will come bouncing back."

Bounce back

The hope around Elland Road is that Leeds can bounce straight back up to the Premier League after a poor showing in the top tier last season. However, that is made a little bit more difficult with Leicester City and Ipswich Town dominating in the Championship.

With 10 points separating Ipswich in second and Leeds in third, the Whites will be aiming for all three points on Saturday against their opponents and close the gap to seven points.

It is more likely that Farke's men will need to prepare for the play-offs rather than aim for automatic promotion, but with over half the season still left to play, anything could happen.

But if play-offs are the route that Leeds take, a victory against the Tractor Boys would create true breathing space between them and the first team outside the top six - Sunderland.

The Black Cats are nine points behind Leeds currently but they will want to eliminate any chance of slipping out of the qualification spots. And the higher the finish the better the play-off draw, with Southampton, West Brom and Hull City all snapping at their heels.

A victory at Elland Road at the weekend could open the title race door ajar, giving Leeds fans hope that automatic qualification back to the Premier League is still on the cards.

In other Leeds United news, Micah Richards singled out one Leeds star for praise.