Leeds United’s summer signing Junior Firpo has revealed the major difference between the coaching at Barcelona and at Elland Road.
Firpo, 24, linked up with Marcelo Bielsa’s side for £13m at the start of July and has spent the summer learning from the ever-attentive Argentinian.
Renowned for his obsession with detail and intense training sessions, Bielsa has generated a reputation as one of football’s most sophisticated tacticians.
That tag has made Leeds United the envy of the footballing world in recent years, with the enigmatic coach transforming the Whites from Championship nearly men to Premier League powerhouses, with the club finishing ninth in their long-awaited return to the top flight last season.
The 66-year-old will now be looking to push on and have Leeds challenging for a European spot this forthcoming campaign, spending the summer recruiting wisely and no doubt meticulously planning for that opening game against Manchester United on Saturday.
As well as signing Firpo, Leeds have also signed Jack Harrison on a permanent deal from Manchester City and convinced Chelsea wonderkid Lewis Bate that chances will be more readily available in West Yorkshire than the capital.
Firpo, who struggled to cement a consistent starting position at Barcelona after signing from Real Betis in 2019, has shared some of his early behind-the-scenes dealings with Bielsa, revealing he has seen more video analysis of his game in a fortnight than during his two years at the Camp Nou.
“The way I was presented the project the first day I came here with Victor [Orta] and his staff, made me love it, basically, because of him,” Firpo told DAZN Espana.
“I’ve been here two weeks and I’ve seen more videos of myself than I have in my two years at Barca! Individual videos!
“But it’s good, they explain to you the way you have to play, what they want you to do in every possible situation and in the end they really look in detail.”
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