He’s more than a football manager. He’s more than a football coach. He’s more than a man who simply ‘implements’ football tactics. He transcends football. 

Marcelo Bielsa is the closest thing football has to a father figure. From his influence in South America to Europe, Bielsa has shaped and formed so much about the modern game that he should to be held in the highest regard. 

And he ought to be the next Socceroo manager.

Who Is ‘El Loco’?

Marcelo Bielsa’s most recent footballing feat was securing Leeds their elusive promotion to the EPL and immediately producing a 9th place finish in his first season. He did so with his chargers playing some of the most attacking football in the division, the likes of which will ensure his name will forever be etched into Elland Road folklore. 

Bielsa is a charismatic and innovative manager with a fan-first mentality.

This is a man who has coached the Argentine national team to Olympic glory and who took Chile to the World Cup after being absent for 12 years. It's also a country where he's attained cult-hero status, forever altering the course of a football nation that had lost its way before his arrival.

This is a man who has taken two off-broadway clubs in Argentina to domestic titles, piloting Newell's Old Boys all the way to the Copa Libertadores final. 

Speaking of finals he took Athletic Bilbao to the cusp of Copa Del Rey and Europa League glory as well.

And somehow Marcelo Bielsa is now a free agent. And the Socceroos need to act fast. 

Punters- At TopSport, Brazil are the current World Cup favourites, and are paying $6.50 about the possibility of winning their 6th crown. 

Background 

This isn’t the first time Bielsa has been linked with just about the biggest job in Australian sport. He was connected with the position in 2019, with reports suggesting he was keen to make the move happen. He was linked in 2017 as well just after Ange Postecoglou’s reign had ended. 

Despite never being formally approached Bielsa has said that “he would love to be a part of football in this country.” 

So, it’d appear the desire has at least been articulated by one side, let’s examine why the most important party in this potential arrangement needs to take action. 

Punters- At TopSport the Socceroos are paying a gargantuan $351 to win the 2022 World Cup.

Identity

For too long, the Socceroos have lacked identity. They have always been a squad of players that don’t seem to play in unison and within the same system. 

From grassroots to the elite level in the country, there doesn't appear to be an ethos nor clear motivation for playing a certain way of football. It is a jumbled mess that has restricted the national team’s chance of success. 

With every coach, a new style of football seems to be ushered in. Every characteristic that defined the old regime is inevitably swept aside and forgotten about once the new gaffer is patrolling the touchline. 

What Marcelo Bielsa would bring to the Australian football table is a clear, effective and exciting identity to Australian football. This heavy metal, high pressing, expansive football will not only be implemented deep into the national side but would have a massive knock-on effect to the club football landscape as well. The intense nature of this system will give every player valuable traits that will hold them in good stead for a post-Bielsa Australia and implant the kind of legacy that's for too long eluded the sport in this country.

The first step to producing a positive footballing nature is to develop an identity. A universal and cultural footprint that's used at the elite level, as well within grassroots. In Spain, they have 'Tiki-Taka'. In Italy, the 'catenaccio' reigns supreme. In Germany, it's 'heavy metal' and in Brazil it's a free-flowing style of football that has helped net them 5 World Cups and 9 continental crowns. 

Every elite footballing country has a calling card and something that makes it distinct. It's time for the Socceroos to develop one, and Marcelo Bielsa is the ideal person to get those wheels in motion. 

Punters- At TopSport, England are paying $7.75 to win the World Cup. And they might just have the team to do so. 

Youth-Centric

A further reason why Bielsa would be the perfect candidate to implement a fresh identity in this country is because of his youth-centric approach to management. 

He's long been a manager that cares about the youth and understands the dangers of stagnation within a footballing structure. In June 2021, the man himself turned up to an under 11’s training session and was generous with his insights, teaching the next generation of Leeds players how to play ‘murderball’. This small but impactful demonstration of commitment to youth is something that Australian football is in desperate need of. 

We've seen the national side slowly regress in terms of quality over the years, something that clearly displays the lack of investment at grassroots level. The best players Australia have produced in recent times have either spent all their youth playing overseas after usually (and ridiculously) being rejected by clubs in Australia. This can’t be down to coincidence. Marcelo Bielsa will implement a system to help grassroots football and develop the nation from the ground up. He'll build the football infrastructure in Australia piece by piece. Bielsa has that calibre of influence and has the opportunity to alter the fortunes of football in this country for generations to come.

All that's left is for Football Australia to make to not miss the chance to hand the reins over to one of the most intelligent identities in world football and who just happens to be available at a time when the national team is, once again, struggling mightily. 

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