“I haven’t returned to Leeds mainly because the feeling of nostalgia is a feeling that sometimes one is resistant to address. And, I experience everything related to my time at that club with nostalgia, I see it as one of the most beautiful memories that football gave me,” Bielsa answered.
Bielsa was then asked if he had a message for the droves of travelling Leeds fans eager to get a glimpse of him in the flesh again at Wembley.
“I want to be brief, but express what I think” Bielsa continued in typical fashion. “The power that English football has in the world, for me, it is based on the fans.
“The structures, the organisations have relied on the unconditional love of the fans to build a great league. But, this English league wouldn’t be what it is, if it weren’t for how its fans feel.
“And, I have experienced that. If there’s one thing, four years following my departure at Leeds, that caused me to no longer be at Leeds, which I always understood, it was that I conceded 14 goals in one week.
“It’s very difficult to survive that, isn’t it? During these four years with a marked frequency and regularity, I always received messages from the Leeds fans. I think it has nothing to do with me, but it has to do with the British fan. The way he loves his club, which for me, is the heart of the Premier League.”
Interestingly, Bielsa finished his press conference with a comment on the commercial nature of football. But, he notes how none of that can impact the love from the fans.
“[Premier League fanbases] survive any commercial attempt. It seems that the industrial development of the Premier League is what makes it great,” Bielsa said.
“And for me, what truly makes it great is that there is no commercial structure that can overshadow such a strong feeling as the one the fans feel for the badge.”