Consequently, nobody has any idea what to expect from Bielsa – or his team – in North America. A semblance of order appeared to be restored during encouraging draws with fellow qualifiers England and Algeria in March, but we’ve not seen anything from them since, as Uruguay haven’t played any World Cup warm-up matches – which has only added to the sense of uncertainty surrounding the Celeste.
Uruguay are the tournament’s great unknown quantity, a team just as likely to impress as implode, meaning their campaign, much like their contrary coach, will be utterly compelling.
Basically, Bielsa and the way in which he works are under more scrutiny than ever before. Is he still a visionary that sees things that others do not – or is he now out of touch with a modern game that he helped create?
Of course, one tournament isn’t going to change the way in which Guardiola and other top tacticians look at Bielsa. He’ll clearly always have their love. Indeed, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino says that Bielsa is “special” precisely because he’s a personality “very different from us, normal coaches”.
However, whether Bielsa’s Uruguay tenure ends in acrimony or adoration is still completely up in the air. The next few weeks will decide all. We’re about to find out if ‘El Loco’ really has lost it – or whether there’s still some method to the madness.
