Ian Holloway has piled praise on Marcelo Bielsa, stressing that Leeds United’s supporters have every right to be excited by his appointment.
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Bielsa arrived at Elland Road earlier in the summer, with the Argentinian a high-profile appointment in the Championship.
The 63-year-old got off to a superb start last weekend against Stoke City, with Leeds making short work of the title favourites at Elland Road.
Goals from Mateusz Klich, Pablo Hernandez and Liam Cooper were enough to secure a 3-1 victory, with Elland Road left buzzing with the performance of Bielsa’s side.
Holloway was full of praise when discussing Leeds’ new head-coach: “He’s like a chess player, a fantastic tactician, I think he gets it over brilliantly and has a variety of formations to use in each game; and it’s great for the Leeds players to have that in control of your club. I hope it goes well for him.
“The nucleus of last season’s team is still there, they faded last season but with his coaching it should be very, very interesting. The Leeds fans are absolutely buzzing about this man and so they should be.”
After last weekend’s emphatic win, expectation levels are rising at Elland Road, with Leeds’ supporters now looking forward to a clash with Derby County this weekend.
Like Leeds, Derby picked up three points on the opening weekend of the season, beating Reading 2-1 to give Frank Lampard a victory on his managerial debut.
Holloway admitted he was looking forward to seeing how one of the EFL’s young managers matches up against an ex-international coach in Bielsa: "I’m looking forward to the game, the young pretender against the old experienced genius so let’s see how it goes.”
Leeds are expected to name an unchanged side from last weekend’s victory over Stoke, but Bielsa will be without one member of the matchday 18, with Stuart Dallas struggling with a quad injury.
The Northern Irish international is expected to be on the sidelines for two weeks.
The Verdict
Leeds have made a fast start under Bielsa, and like Holloway, a lot of people are excited to see where the Argentinian can take the club.
However, there are some big tests ahead, with Leeds needing to keep grounded.
The clash with Derby this weekend will be difficult for Leeds, who will have to be at their best to beat Lampard’s side.
Leeds fans… Let us know your thoughts!
Watch Holloway’s analysis on the EFL Highlights Show on Quest every Saturday at 9pm. Also available live and on demand at questod.co.uk and via the QuestOD app