Junior Firpo has taken aim at Barcelona, claiming that he has seen more individual videos since joining Leeds United than in two years at Camp Nou.
In an interview with DAZN Espana, Junior Firpo has aimed a dig at former club Barcelona while praising Marcelo Bielsa for his attention to details. The 24-year-old has revealed that he has seen more individual videos since joining Leeds United than he did during his two-year stint with the Catalan outfit.
Junior Firpo joined Leeds United this summer following a horrific two-year stint at Barcelona, where he just could not get going. The switch to Elland Road, though, has brought about a sense of optimism for the 24-year-old, who is expected to be the first-choice option at left-back for the Whites.
Firpo has already claimed that he did not get enough opportunities at Barcelona, which might be true, although with Jordi Alba being their first-choice left-back, the chances were always going to come few and far between. Now, the former Barcelona defender has taken another swipe at the Catalan outfit while also praising Marcelo Bielsa’s work.
He said, “I had heard many things about the methodology and the way of working, but it is different from everything they say. One aspect that I think Bielsa takes great care of is the physical, I think that at the level that I will be here physically, I will not be in my life anymore. An incredible physical level is acquired because we work very hard.”
“It is a tough football, but both for us and for the rival. I don’t want to imagine a quality player facing what it must be like to have an uncle on top of you for 90 minutes, you don’t have a meter to breathe. It’s difficult to play against us, that’s for sure. I’ve been here for two weeks and I’ve seen more individual videos than in two years at Barcelona.”
“They explain to you the way they want you to play and what they want you to do, and that means they take care of it in detail. They have studied you to tell you how you have to behave in each action. That draws attention, it is a very different way of working.”
The comments are certainly quite revealing about the way sessions are conducted at Barcelona, while Marcelo Bielsa’s attention to details is surely a big quality why he is revered by most players who play under his tutelage. Nevertheless, a new phase beckons the 24-year-old in his career and it will be interesting to see if he can finally kick on at Elland Road.
