Bielsaism will never die

When one fails, they almost always fail alone. Even more so in football. And especially when it comes to someone as unyielding in their convictions, from the inside out, as Marcelo Bielsa. He has 'died' many times in the game, but always doing what he believes and saying what he thinks. Without compromise.

However, this time, El Loco was destined to fail. He never had the players on his side. He had been preaching in the wilderness for ages. Or in the dunes of Cabo Polonio, for lack of a better setting. The qualification, preparation, and initial matches confirmed the poor form, and before the Spain game, an ideological mutiny came to light, with players asking him to revert to the long ball, the running, and the physicality they were accustomed to. Questioning Bielsa made no sense; it's impossible to find anyone as idealistic in the Americas right now. And the coach felt the stab and showed the scars. It wasn't the first time he'd been wounded, and by the same people. "They had tried to get rid of me before," he accused.

I've seen a lot of criticism. He's an easy target, even thousands of miles away. I've read that he's no longer as influential, that he's no longer a genius, that his ideas no longer work. They even accuse him of disrespecting players and never looking anyone in the eye. He never did, even when he was considered brilliant and others drew inspiration from his ideas to create their own models.

It's easier to throw stones at Bielsa, who isn't perfect, obviously, than to look at the less-than-talented Uruguayan squad, even though the coach himself sidelined a few players, or at the rich disciplinary record of some key figures in the last year. Or even the performance of others in crucial positions, like the striker. El Loco arrived a few years too late. The generation of Cavani and Suárez played much better football, and they were the leaders who are now scarce. He lacked support for his revolution.

Rest assured, Bielsa won't be going home anytime soon. He will live on in Scaloni, Pochettino, and Beccacece, who even has him tattooed on his back. Bielsaism has many lives.