Assumptions about Sam Allardyce’s tactical outlook are based on long balls, deep defensive blocks, strong tackles and a negative perspective that looks to avoid losing rather than try winning. The gulf between his view and Marcelo Bielsa’s could not be bigger.
That is the assumption at least. Allardyce himself would have you believe differently. The former England boss addressed those expectations during his last job at West Bromwich Albion.
“I don't have to prove anything to anybody," he said while in charge at The Hawthorns. “I haven't had to prove anything to anybody for years and years.
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“The fake news in football is equally as fake as it is in politics. The perception is the perception, the reality is not the perception.
“Too many people or fans or on social media live on perception and what is perceived and not what the reality is. That is the way of the world.
“The reality is go and look at my team where it started. You tell me when we played with [Jay-Jay] Okocha, [Youri] Djorkaeff, [Nicolas] Anelka, [Ivan] Campo, [Fernando] Hierro and Stelios [Giannakopoulos], [El-Hadi] Diouf and [Gary] Speed, we played like that, but it is long old news, it started with jealous managers who we beat.
“[Rafa] Benitez when we beat Liverpool, [Jose] Mourinho when we beat Chelsea, [Arsene] Wenger when we beat Arsenal. It came from a lot of places which of course it is going to be picked up by the media.
“Another one was when we won the semi-final against Aston Villa over David O'Leary. Long old history, none of them are about any more.
“There is only me. Here I am, battling away, over 1,000 games. My teams play to the strengths and abilities we have. My pragmatic approach has always been what are the players capable of.
“If that means we have to play a little bit less in terms of how we get from A to B then we plan that way. That is what they are best capable of. I play winning football. Winning is the only thing that keeps me in a job.”
Leeds United are expected to replace Javi Gracia with Sam Allardyce at Elland Road before Saturday’s clash with Manchester City.
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