Fans sing there’s “No One like El Loco Bielsa” as Athletic Bilbao get ready to host Barcelona (via afootballreport)

When Barcelona kickoff against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames, all eyes will be on 24-year-old Lionel Messi. Standard, really. However, for another Argentine from Rosario, namely 56-year-old Marcelo “El Loco” Bielsa, this could be a defining moment in his first season as the manager of Athletic. Despite a horrid start to the season spent in the relegation zone, Athletic are now flying up the La Liga table. Realistically, there are never any expectations when playing Barça, but Bielsa surely has something up his sleeve he’s willing to experiment with.

Last time Athletic played Barcelona, they lost 2-1 at the Camp Nou. Iker Muniain sat on the bench for most of the game, then failed to impact the game at all. Times have changed. Bielsa has found away to get the most out of all his young Basque talent, including Javi Martinez, Ander Herrera, and Muniain. “No one knows fútbol more than Bielsa!”