Kyle Walker says Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United did something he’s only ever seen twice in his whole career

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Leeds United and Daniel Farke can match Marcelo Bielsa’s achievement if they win the league title on Saturday, which would mean two Championship title wins in five years in the process.

With Marcelo Bielsa in charge, it was a promising first season for the Argentine at Elland Road. Of course, what happened the following season with Leeds winning the Championship was even better, and now Daniel Farke has emulated much of Bielsa’s success this campaign. too.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	45	28	13	4	93	29	64	97
2	BurnleyBurnley	45	27	16	2	66	15	51	97
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	45	28	7	10	62	35	27	89
4	SunderlandSunderland	45	21	13	11	58	43	15	76

He’s easily been the most successful manager in recent times after guiding the Whites back to the Premier League, but the next step for Farke is if he can keep his side up and end the trend of newly promoted teams getting relegated.

When it’s apparent that Bielsa galvanised Leeds, that sums up the level Farke has to achieve. Even if Farke beat Bielsa to 50 Championship wins, that doesn’t make him a more loved or revered manager than Bielsa in West Yorkshire.

• READ MORE: How Chris Wilder brutally mocked Leeds United in 2019 when Marcelo Bielsa missed out on promotion

Kyle Walker outlines Marcelo Bielsa’s interesting Leeds tactic

Bielsa transformed the likes of Pablo Hernandez at Leeds with the Argentine’s unique style of play being second to none in recent memory at Elland Road. Farke needs to find the next Hernandez or Raphinha, as part of the next steps in the 49ers’ project.

However, it was more than just individuals that made Leeds brilliant and finish ninth in their first season back in the Premier League in over 16 years, which is something Kyle Walker has praised when speaking to Michael Brown on The Kyle Walker Podcast via the BBC.

Walker said: “Here [at AC Milan in Serie A] is a lot of man-to-man. From the goal kick it’s man-to-man.

“I was very privileged and honoured to play at Manchester City when, not being big-headed, but we probably dominated English football for a long time.

“We had one season where we didn’t win the league and Liverpool deservedly went on to win it but not many teams would play Manchester City man-for-man.

“So, to come here now, and no matter where you go, people play man-for-man.

“I can think of probably two teams out of the seven-and-a-half years that I played at City that did man-for-man. That was Bielsa’s Leeds and Brighton.”

Brown responded: “They, won at the Etihad, didn’t they? Under Bielsa? That was Stuart Dallas who scored?”

“Yeah, they did. Yeah. It’s the chess game isn’t it? When it’s man-for-man. You try and pull people out and call their bluff.

“These days, I’d say with the bigger clubs, that you don’t really have teams that are going to go man-for-man.”

• READ MORE: The time Kevin De Bruyne stitched up Leeds United and Marcelo Bielsa with a sneaky message

Marcelo Bielsa 2019/20 and Daniel Farke 2024/25 comparison

The Whites boss will need to be backed by recruitment, and if Leeds can become a top-eight Premier League team, Farke could even top Bielsa in the eyes of some — at least in terms of his achievements with Leeds.

However, the style of play captured the imagination of the fanbase and brought new life into the city of Leeds, which is not something Farke is likely to replicate at any stage of his Leeds tenure.

The numbers may be more impressive now but Farke has a greater depth of squad and far more quality than Bielsa did during his promotion campaign. Unfortunately, his man-to-man system required better players and eventually became his undoing during the latter stages of his incredible time at Leeds.