[ad_pod ]
Marcelo Bielsa came into the Championship as one of the most accomplished managers in the division.
His team hit the ground running and looked like promotion favourites for a long time this season, but heading into the playoffs, the Argentine has seemingly lost his confidence.
What’s been said then?
For all the plaudits the 63-year-old has had throughout his career his trophy cabinet is still quite barren.
Bielsa has been in the dugout for multiple cup finals throughout his career, but he has rarely been successful.
The Argentine’s only cup triumph in his career was in the 2004 Olympics, and his terrible record in finals may be playing on his mind.
The manager spoke about having experience of pressure situations in his press conference on Thursday but signed off his message saying: “What I can tell you is I lost all the finals – apart from the final of the Olympics.”
Lacking confidence
It certainly seems like a strange time to bring up his abysmal cup final record, just weeks before his side could potentially be lining up at Wembley.
Bielsa isn’t a perennial winner, and he is seemingly already fearing the worst for his team if they get to the playoff final.
He has been in the game long enough to know that comments like these can damage his team’s morale, so why would he say it so publicly?
It may be a ploy to try and get his team to prove him wrong but more than likely it is a sign of doubts creeping in after his side’s poor recent form.
The Whites have lost three of their last four games, and that run of results has seemingly gotten to the gaffer.
The 63-year-old is getting his excuses in early, and quotes like this in his press conferences won’t aid his side’s chances of getting promoted to the Premier League.
