Video vault and Leeds litter picking - inside the mind of Bielsa

Video vault and Leeds litter picking - inside the mind of BielsaImage source, AFP via Getty ImagesImage caption, Marcelo Bielsa is manager a country at a World Cup for the third time in his careerByGary RoseBBC Sport journalistPublished1 minute agoIt is quite possible that nobody alive today has watched more football than Marcelo Bielsa.The 70-year-old is one of the most respected and influential coaches in the game, and that reputation has been earned from his borderline obsessive dedication to preparation for every single match he oversees.More than two decades ago he took 2,000 video tapes to Japan for the 2002 World Cup - when he was manager of Argentina - with those covering everything from clips of his players at their respective clubs to the opposition teams his side would come up against at the tournament.Thankfully, modern technology means suitcases packed with VHS tapes will no longer be necessary.But Bielsa will no doubt have a similar volume of clips with him in North America for the 2026 World Cup - where his Uruguay side will face Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde and Spain in the group stage.In, or out? The joy and despair of World Cup squad selectionPublished21 MayWorld Cup player signs petition calling for protection from extreme heatPublished20 MayEmpty rooms and Fifa cancellations - US hotels fear World Cup washoutPublished20 MayThe making of BielsaBorn in Rosario, Argentina, Bielsa hails from a family of educated minds, with his brother having worked in politics and his sister a renowned architect.Both of those professions require analytical thinking - a gift Bielsa also possessed from childhood. However, he was drawn to football, not necessarily playing it but absorbing the tactics.Every day he would send his mother to the local newsagent to buy football magazines and newspapers, spending hours reading up as much as he could about how teams played and how different managers worked.Bielsa was still a capable but limited footballer. A defender but lacking...