Leeds striker Patrick Bamford says that he loves what Marcelo Bielsa has achieved with the club, but admitted that the Argentine’s methods are painstaking at times.
After a 16-year wait, the Elland Road side are back in the Premier League, having claimed the Championship title by 10 points over second-placed West Brom.
The campaign was capped with a thumping 4-0 win over Charlton on Wednesday, and after that fixture Bamford spoke to LUTV to discuss the impact that the notoriously meticulous Bielsa has had over the course of his two-year reign to date.
“It’s almost like a love-hate relationship because he pushes us so hard and I know as a group of lads we moan a lot,” he said. “With the manager everyone says you don’t see that much of a personal side with him.
“We know, deep down he is getting the best out of us, he has improved us all as players and you can see the transformation he has done with the team.
“It was just the pure determination and willingness for him to achieve this goal with us and now you can see him relax. He’s such a loveable guy and me and the whole team owe so much to him.”
More broadly, the 16-goal forward discussed the outcome of the season.
“Who would’ve thought we’d have ended up winning the league by 10 points in the end? It was so tight until the last couple of games,” he said. “It means so much to everyone, the fans, staff and the whole club as a family has done the city proud.
“I don’t think we realise just how much we’ve achieved, there has been 16 years of heartache and we’ve managed to bring Premier League football back and until we retire from playing, I don’t think we’ll realise what kind of feat we’ve achieved here.
“I’m proud and I know the lads are proud, it has been a long season, but we deserve it.”
Although Bielsa has guided the club back into the top level of the English game, there are doubts over his future, with reports suggesting that Lionel Messi wants the former Argentina, Club Athletic and Marseille boss to take charge of Barcelona in the summer.