Marcelo Bielsa staged one of his most iconic coaching stints at Athletic Bilbao, but his tribute match wasn’t exactly fitting.
The former Leeds manager, who coached in Bilbao between 2011 and 2013, is now at the helm of Uruguay, and returned to the Basque country for a friendly.
Taking his troops to the new San Mames, Bielsa had a warm welcome before they took on the Basque national team on Saturday.
However, things deteriorated when opposition coach Jagoba Arrasate decided to make six changes at half-time.
Bielsa had insisted on FIFA rules of five subs pre-match, and wasn’t happy with his opposite with the second half delayed as they debated the matter.
In the second half, the Basque side made a further three more changes, annoying Bielsa even more.
The Argentine was also said to be peeved at the lack of recognisable faces from his time in Bilbao.
Post-match he showed his anger, refusing to turn up to his scheduled press conference, as a friendly match fully lost it’s warmth.
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