Nottingham Forest star Joe Lolley has heaped praise on Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa after their battling defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup.
The Whites were the better side in the first half at the Emirates Stadium. After failing to find a goal, however, they missed their chance with the Gunners far superior in the second period.
Argentine boss sent his team our firing. They played at a blistering pace in the first half and should have perhaps been two or three goals to the good at the interval.
The Forest winger took to Twitter during the first half to state his admiration for the Championship boss:
From a football nerd point of view, Bielsa is just an incredible coach.
— Joe Lolley (@JLolley23) January 6, 2020
Bielsa is a big name to be plying his trade in the second tier of English football.
He has managed at some of Europe’s top clubs including Marseille, Athletic Bilbao, Lazio, Espanyol and Lille. Bielsa also spent six years managing the Argentina national team.
Now 64, he came desperately close to securing Premier League football during his first season at Elland Road.
Lolley will see first hand just how good Leeds are when the Whites travel to play Forest at the start of February.
The 27-year-old played in the 4-2 win over Bielsa’s team last season on Trentside and will hope for a similar result when the two renew acquaintances.
(Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Bielsa’s team have to be seen as the model for the rest of the division.
In the first half against Arsenal, they were a joy to watch. Leeds played on the front foot, got the ball wide and carved out several good chances to score.
Familiarity
The big thing about Leeds is that they have kept a large group of their squad together from last year and it’s paying dividends.
Sabri Lamouchi is doing the business right now and hopefully, Forest can reap the benefits of some continuity in the months to come.