Chris Wilder once publicly called out Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United, but what he did next was remarkable

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There was clear respect between Chris Wilder and Marcelo Bielsa when the two faced off during their tenures.

Bielsa was always one for the respectful side of the game, whereas Wilder seems to think the opposite.

This became apparent in 2019 when Wilder mocked Bielsa’s side after missing promotion to the annoyance of Leeds fans.

However, Bielsa will be glad to see the tables have turned this year with the Blades looking likely to head for the playoffs.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	42	25	13	4	82	29	53	88
2	BurnleyBurnley	42	24	16	2	57	13	44	88
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	42	26	7	9	57	33	24	83

But following the 2019 campaign, two years later, the two sides met again and there wasn’t respect from Wilder to Bielsa.

When Chris Wilder publicly called out Leeds United’s Marcelo Bielsa

It’s never a dull affair when Leeds meet Sheffield, and that was certainly the case in the 20/21 Premier League season.

With both now in the top flight, there were bragging rights to be had, and although fans were absent, it was still a lively encounter.

Bielsa’s Whites came out on top as Patrick Bamford scored an 88th-minute winner, beating the Blades 1-0.

This will have left the Blades boss angry as it comes as no surprise after Wilder has had serious headloss over Leeds.

But this time it was over Bielsa as after the game, the Argentine said his side deserved the win, but Wilder disagreed in his post-match interview.

“I don’t agree with Marcelo’s opinion that they deserved to win – we had the better chances,” Wilder said.

“A lot of things are okay, and a few need tightening up. If we score first, it puts a different slant on the game.”

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How Leeds boss Bielsa responded to Wilder callout shows major difference

With Bielsa being the respectful man he is, you’d assume he would avoid Wilder’s admission.

But you’d be wrong, and what the former Leeds manager said next might have certainly surprised fans and Wilder.

Players could always rely on the Argentine as Kalvin Phillips sought advice from Bielsa which just shows the respectful character he is.

And this was exemplified when Bielsa responded to Wilder’s salty response in 2020 during a post-match press conference.

“After the last game, I thought that the victory would have been a fair one, but the opposition manager Wilder, thought that what I thought was a fair victory was in fact not,” Bielsa said.

“I then listened to the arguments that he gave, and I looked over what happened in the game, and I understood that justifiably, he could have the opinion that he did. Because they had very clear scoring opportunities.

“This makes me think that the opinions we have when the opponent is involved, we need to manage with caution. I would never have said victory was fair had I taken into consideration the arguments of the manager of Sheffield United. The arguments were good.”

This highlights the clear difference between the managers, as Bielsa’s response is classy, to put it simply.

Remarkable is another word, and it continues to give reason why Leeds fans admire Bielsa so much.