Marcelo Bielsa has been unemployed since last February. Photo: Reuters
After suffering a hard defeat on penalties against Australia, which cost him the opportunity to say he was present at the World Cup in Qatar 2022, Peru is already thinking about the future and aims to close the hiring of a coach in the next few hours to fill the gap. gap left by the departure of Ricardo Gareca. This is where the name of another Argentine with an impressive resume appears.
Who? Nothing more and nothing less than Marcelo Bielsa, who a few weeks ago had been close to returning to Athletic Club de Bilbao, where he already had a stage at the beginning of the last decade. With that chance fallen, the possibility of seeing El Loco in a South American team was revived.
Bielsa attended the official presentation of the Arechabaleta project. In the end, the “Loco” did not land in Bilbao. (Photo: video capture)
And it’s not just a rumor. This is a concrete possibility. In fact, from the Peruvian Football Federation they have already communicated with the Rosario coach, who until now had not responded either positively or negatively to the approach. In the program Peru champion Radio PBOThey have ensured that there are negotiations.
“A preliminary conversation has been initiated with Marcelo Bielsa. He is a candidate to lead Peru. It was a conversation that didn’t get a positive or negative response, it was just discussed. That’s the information, “they said on the radio program that airs Monday through Friday.
Thus, the technical director with a past in the Argentina national team and the Chilean national team could once again wear the coach’s sweatshirt, this time to manage a team that has just received a hard blow. Peru’s big goal will be to say it will be present at the 2026 World Cup, as well as to leave a good impression in the next Copa América.
Peru couldn’t against Australia and is already thinking about the next World Cup. (EFE / Toni Albir)
Bielsa has been unemployed since his departure from Leeds United in England, produced in February. After promoting the team to the top flight of English football and having played a very good season on his return to the Premier League, “Loco” was not given the results and was finally sacked when the Whites were at the bottom of the table and with serious risk of descent.
the Rosary had a bittersweet spell for the Argentine national team, which arrived in October 1998. There were 85 games for Loco in the Albiceleste team. After having achieved some dream qualifiers and having achieved excellent results in friendlies against major powers, came the coup of the Korea-Japan World Cup in 2002, where Argentina were eliminated in the group stage.
Bielsa continues for another two years at the helm of the national team, but that turbulent experience in the first World Cup played in Asia has never stopped influencing his cycle. He was champion at the 2004 Athens Olympics with a reinforced Sub 23 and later second in the America’s Cup. He left in September 2004, in the midst of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He accused him of running out of “energy”.
El Loco could direct again. Will you accept the offer? (EFE / EPA / PETER POWELL)
Three years later, he took his revenge in Chile Crazy he arrived at the Rossa to replace José Sulantay. After a rather bumpy start, Bielsa hosted Chile and Chile hosted Bielsa. Rosario has directed 51 games and has collected over 60% of the points in play.
In these four years at the helm of the Chilean team, Bielsa led the team to the 2010 World Cup with a big step forward in the South American qualifiers, and was even the architect of the red can count on the so-called “golden generation”. He left in 2011, after a conflict with the leaders of the Federation.
Bielsa hasn’t made it since February this year, when he was sacked from Leeds. (Reuters / Molly Darlington)
The problematic departure of Gareca
To talk about the possible arrival of Bielsa in Peru, we must also talk about the departure of Gareca. After seven years at the helm of the White Reda proposal to reduce his salary thwarted the continuity of the Tiger ahead of Peru. There was no agreement and they were left without DT.
“Ricardo Gareca has decided not to continue in the Peruvian national team after the latest offer presented by the Peruvian Football Association”had indicated the RPP radio on his web portal, citing members of the coach’s environment.
Gareca did a tremendous job in Peru, even though he failed to win the second consecutive World Cup. Photo: EFE / Alberto Estevez
Thus, the second highest paid DT of the South American teams closed his cycle of successes at the helm of Peru. Gareca was paid only less than Tité, who has a salary of three million nine hundred thousand dollars a year. Argentine denounced two hundred thousand dollars less and the Peruvian Federation had proposed a renewal with a 40 percent discount.
Source: Clarin
