Bielsa absent from first day of pre-season at Lille
Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa cited 'personal problems' as the reason for his absence from training with Lille, the Ligue 1 team he joined this year.
Marcelo Bielsa was not present for the first day of pre-season training at Lille, his new club. The Argentine innovator cited ‘personal problems’.
Bielsa absent due to 'personal reasons'
At present, little is known of the problems Bielsa refers to, or whether he will be able to return to training on Tuesday.
It should be noted that Bielsa has a track record of leaving his clubs in the lurch while under contract. In 1998, he left Espanyol after a brief period in Barcelona, in order to become the manager of the Argentine national team. More recently, he left Lazio a few days after joining the Italian club upon learning that the club were not going to sign the players he wanted.
Lille owner enjoys good relationship with 'El Loco'
It appears unlikely that history will repeat itself in Lille, given the good relationship between ‘El Loco’ and the owner of the club. But his absence has still caused alarm bells to ring. As his adventure in the north of France begins, he is once again in the news.