He Doesn’t Let You Leave – Former Leeds United Star Lifts Lid On Marcelo Bielsa | OneFootball

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Elia Caprile has lifted the lid on working with Marcelo Bielsa during his time at Elland Road and revealed he regularly had to train through lunchtime.

Italian shot-stopper Caprile was taken to Leeds as a young prospect in 2020 and remained at the club until making a move to Bari in 2022.

The goalkeeper found making an impact tough to do at Leeds, but he has flourished back in Italy, joining Napoli last summer and then turning out for Empoli on loan.

Caprile still remembers his time with Bielsa at Leeds and how the Argentine would keep the players on the pitch all through lunchtime as he looked for technical perfection.

The Italian told SportWeek (via Tutto Mercato): “He didn’t give me my debut, but seen up close he really is a perfectionist.

“I happened to start a training session at half past ten in the morning and eat at three in the afternoon because he doesn’t let you leave the field until the technical exercises are executed to perfection.

“The result was that, in the match, the team played with disarming fluency, from memory.”

Leeds angered many of their fans by sacking Bielsa as boss in February 2022 and bringing in Jesse Marsch as his replacement.

The American was then himself sacked by Leeds a year later, leaving Elland Road with a win percentage of just 29.