Framtidig Leeds-trenar? Hadde hatt potensiale til å vere ein perfekt match (på sikt), spør du meg
https://gianlucadimarzio.com/it/berardi-bielsa-leeds-intervista?fbclid=IwAR0mq-dxtZW3D-m8qRRnAxRFpo3uOt8tbWo_n3VEIQdFkO_QREoHqfblhEQOversatt m/ google translate:
Gaetano Berardi: "I'll be a coach for Bielsa. The time he made us pick up the garbage in the park..."On the identity card, under nationality it says "Swiss", but by now he is an acquired Italian. Gaetano Berardi left Lugano when he was 16 to go first to Brescia and then to Sampdoria. But the centre-back born in 1988 wanted to take the glory in England. When he left, Leeds had the headline: 'the lion who put the team before him, every time'. As cover of him a photo of him with a bloody face after a fight. The love between Gaetano Berardi and the Whites could be summed up like this.
Berardi: "Bielsa has been fundamental to my career"Few people have entered the hearts of Leeds fans like this, one of the hottest firms in the United Kingdom. Among the few others is Marcelo Bielsa. At first glance, a Swiss and an Argentinian (loco) don't have much in common. And yet "Marcelo Bielsa was fundamental to my career. He was always attentive to details. Even if he had played a good game the day before, the day after he would only point out the mistakes we had made and convince you that you had played a bad game."
And if they call it loco, there is always a reason. "He had arrived a few weeks ago and we were on retreat. With his translator he decided to let us do an hour-long activity where we collected garbage in a park. I must say it was very interesting". The lesson? "He made us understand how many sacrifices the fans make to earn the cost of the ticket and come and see us".
A lion in Leeds157 appearances in total with the Leeds shirt and, above all, 8 reds. Precisely this detail (most likely) made love blossom between the two parties. "A special relationship had been created: not only with his teammates and society but with all the people of the city". He was among the absolute protagonists of the return to the Premier League in 2020 until the crack: rupture of the crusader. Of the season in the Championship he only loses the last match against Charlton. He won't have the same "luck" in the top flight. But he still manages to debut, with a special help.
Marcelo Bielsa's. "He always pushed me to get back because he wanted me to make my debut. But he said I had to recover well because he didn't want me to make a bad impression. It was an important emotion. We were just a few days from the end but it was very fought". After those 2 appearances in the Premier League he chose to close the Leeds bracket, "a decision taken together with my family. We wanted to get closer to home also because my son was just born".
The challenge against Gnonto and the memory of MihajlovicStaying in the field of great coaches, the mind goes back to the 2013/2014 season at Sampdoria and a man, Sinisa Mihajlovic. "He was a great person. Unfortunately I didn't have much time to work with him because I left 6 months after he arrived. But he had a great personality in the locker room and above all he was very prepared on the technical side. Don't want to forget with him Delio Rossi who I've always had at Samp, another great coach."
With the mind back to 2020, from the Premier League to being released. "It was a difficult time." Then the offer from Sion where he also faced Willy Gnonto, who was playing for Zurich at the time. "I didn't know him much but everyone was talking very well about this young man. He had come on in the second half and gave us a lot to do in defense (laughs, ed)". By chance, Gnonto is now in "his" Leeds.
Future? Now the head is only at Bellinzona: "First we think about getting the goal, then we'll see". Salvation is at 4 points. "I made the decision to be a coach some time ago thanks to Bielsa, it was fundamental for this choice". Swiss rationality, Italian-Argentinian "madness" and English concreteness: el loco of Leeds Gaetano Berardi.