Marcelo Bielsa and a hug that says it all – The Athletic

The ball ambled into the far corner of the net and Marcelo Bielsa fell instantly into the arms of his assistant, Pablo Quiroga. Seconds remained but the game was done and the pair of them stood there, embracing tightly for what felt like an eternity. Amid the pandemonium they were lost in time and in each others orbit.

Bielsa does not go in for unsolicited celebrations and even at Swansea City, on the day when the Championship gave up on holding Leeds United against their will, he limited himself to a clench of his fists and a wipe of his nose as Pablo Hernandez cleared the way to utopia.

His staff have learned to keep their distance when goals fly in. But gentle emotion like Elland Road saw yesterday is what drips from Bielsa when the dogs are on him, when the strain builds and self-doubt develops. No length of service in football makes a coach impervious to a league table as the Premier League looked to Bielsa on New Years Day.

His hug with Quiroga was like their hug away to Rotherham United in 2019, at the end of a victory that brought welcome relief in the wake of Spygate. Bielsa had spent the fortnight before that win fighting fires with his integrity under attack and Quirogas beeline to him at full-time was a symbolic line in the sand.

Bielsa had form on his side back then, though, and the unerring confidence of everyone in Leeds. That he and Quiroga were embracing before full-time against

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Marcelo Bielsa and a hug that says it all - The Athletic