Marcelo Bielsa, di former Leeds United coach wey dem sack for 2022, dey return to England dis Friday as Uruguay coach for international friendly match against England for Wembley Stadium. Di match na big attraction for Leeds United fans wey still dey hold Bielsa for heart as dem dey plan to use di opportunity show appreciation for wetin im do for dia club.
Bielsa coach Leeds United from June 2018 to February 2022, carry di club from Championship promotion to Premier League. Leeds fans wey dey go Wembley for di match dey plan to wear Leeds shirts and carry flags to show support for di Argentine coach. Richard Levin, one 60-year-old Leeds fan, tell The Athletic say im go wear im Leeds shirt for di match and try make Bielsa see how fans still dey love am.
Paul Brace, anoda Leeds fan, make special flag wey combine Argentina flag with Leeds emblem and Bielsa name. Im say di way Bielsa leave Leeds no sweet, and fans no get chance to properly say goodbye. “I always say to other fans, ‘You’ll never understand unless he was at your club’,” Brace talk.
Nadav Winehouse, 29-year-old Leeds fan, explain say Bielsa transform Leeds city and di relationship with football. “My formative years supporting Leeds were in the Championship and League One,” Winehouse talk. “Leeds had become irrelevant. What Marcelo delivered was the ultimate reward.”
Bielsa self talk about Leeds fans during pre-match press conference. “In the four years since my departure from the club, I understood I could not have carried on,” im talk. “But I say to you, during those four years, with a notable frequency and regularity, I always received messages from the Leeds fans.”
Meanwhile, for England camp, Noni Madueke dey ready to become difference-maker for England coach Thomas Tuchel. Di 24-year-old Arsenal winger score im first senior international goal for England against Serbia for September and dey line up to make im tenth cap against Uruguay.
Madueke talk say im no dey think too much about World Cup selection but dey focus on maturing as player. “I think I’m maturing as a player, I’m a little bit older now than when I first played for England,” im talk. About working with Tuchel for England and Mikel Arteta for Arsenal, Madueke say both managers dey similar because dem dey ask players to put team first.
For anoda news, Curaçao qualify for dia first-ever World Cup after finishing top of dia qualifying group. Di small island nation wey be part of Netherlands become di smallest country to qualify for World Cup. Dean Gorré, former Manchester United youth player and current Curaçao technical director, talk about di journey to qualification.
Kenji Gorré, Dean Gorré pikin and Curaçao player, na one of di pioneers wey help build di national team. Dean Gorré explain say Patrick Kluivert, former Ajax and Barcelona star wey coach Curaçao before, help attract better players to di team. “The minute [Kluivert] was involved with the Curaçao National team, that’s where players start to realise, hey, let’s choose Curaçao,” Gorré talk.
Curaçao qualify for World Cup under coach Dick Advocaat, but di 78-year-old Dutchman step down for February to care for im sick daughter. Fred Rutten take over as coach. Curaçao draw Germany for dia World Cup group, and Dean Gorré talk say im specifically want Germany or Brazil because dem na historical countries.
For England football history, former England coach Steve McClaren confess say im deliberately favour Chelsea players during im time as England boss from 2006 to 2007. McClaren talk on The Managers podcast say im choose Chelsea players over Manchester United and Liverpool players because Chelsea dey dominate English football dat time.
“Culture beats anything,” McClaren talk. “You get a team of lads who run for each other, they’ll beat anybody! And we could never get that. There was always an air of United, Liverpool… And then all of a sudden, Chelsea are coming through.”
McClaren praise current England coach Gareth Southgate for mastering how to manage club rivalries within national team. Im tenure as England coach last only 15 months before dem sack am after England fail to qualify for Euro 2008.
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