Andres Clavijo was the right-hand man of one of the best minds in football. Now, he is eyeing an historic treble with Central Coast Mariners. He chats to aleagues.com.au.
Rewind a couple of years and football fans will recall Leeds United’s, unlikely, but dynamic duo.
During Marcelo Bielsa’s time in the Premier League with Leeds, Andres Clavijo was always by his side. Wherever the football icon was, the now-Central Coast Mariners assistant would follow.
Clavijo earned cult hero status at Elland Road, translating Bielsa’s press conferences and team talks after Leeds earned promotion from the EFL Championship in 2019-20 before they both departed the Yorkshire side in 2022.
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“I was almost a representative of him,” the Colombian told aleagues.com.au as he prepares for Saturday’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final against Melbourne Victory. “I was his voice.
“Having translated so many meetings, conversations with players, training sessions, his words almost become mine. It helped ingrain myself in his way of thinking and playing. I try to hold onto that as much as I can.”
Clavijo’s work went well beyond translating for Bielsa – widely regarded as one of the most influential coaches of all time.
There were long days, which would begin by picking up the Argentine legend for training around 7am and finish by around 9pm, with no days off.
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His role also included scouting and analysis with one of the greatest football minds in the history of the game in Yorkshire.
“It’s crazy how it came about. It’s very fulfilling,” Clavijo recalled. “You try to impress as much as you can. It took a lot of hard work as you can imagine with a person as successful and meticulous, he’s not an easy man to please or impress.
“It was a long three to four years working for him almost as an intern wherever he was. Helping him with presentations, scouting, analysis. Coaching staff would send me work on a weekly basis which I had to complete to the best standard possible.
“That’s how he garners his staff. Everyone who works with him are all people who have basically not been professionals and who are willing to put in a lot of hard graft and then the opportunity to be part of his staff.”
Clavijo’s relationship with Bielsa started before their time together at Leeds, however.
Having grown up in south London, Clavijo turned to coaching once he realised he wasn’t going to be good enough to play professionally.
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At university, the 32-year-old got his sports science degree and then started his coaching badges and after an internship with EFL Championship side Queens Park Rangers (QPR), he landed a role with statistics company Football Radar.
That is where he manager to meet one of his coaching idols – Bielsa. The other being Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger.
“I managed to impress him (Bielsa) enough to start an internship with him which lasted for four to five years before I was able to start working with him on an official basis when Leeds United got promoted to the Premier League,” Clavijo recalled.
In his own words, Bielsa was not an easy man to please. The tone of the translation had to be on point. Clavijo, essentially, had to become Bielsa.
“It wasn’t easy to begin with,” he said. “I remember in my first few interviews that Bielsa had post or pre-game where I didn’t speak loud enough, or I was too monotone.
“He would tell me off. There’s a famous clip – I think it was the first interview we did. I think it was pre-match against Liverpool and he was telling me to speak up.
“It was a role I grew into. He gave me that freedom. He basically told me I had to be him.”
With Bielsa at the helm, the former Argentina, Chile and Marseille boss not only transformed Leeds with an aggressive style of play and pressing, but led them back to the Premier League following 16 years away.
It is an experience not lost on Clavijo as he embarks on his own journey.
“It was amazing. I learnt so many things. The main thing is the professionalism and what it takes to be at the highest level. Yes, he is a great man. He is almost like a mythical person. In the media, he is excellent. He knows how to speak really well,” he said.
“But it’s his professionalism. He lives and breathes football. He doesn’t really spend time away doing anything else. My job there was to pick him up early in the morning and take him to the training ground.
“On top of being his analyst, I was almost his personal assistant. Being able to spend so much time with him, you learn loads.
“The attention to detail, there’s nothing that we don’t look into. Very long days. A lot of video, a lot of conversations, a lot of watching football from other teams, trying to get ideas.
“All the planning. It was incredible and helped me massively.”
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Clavijo remains in contact with Bielsa, who is now preparing to lead Uruguay at the upcoming Copa America.
“We send each other messages from time to time,” he revealed. “He actually wrote me a recommendation letter before I came out here to help with my visa. We keep in touch.
“We have a good relationship.
“I’m not sure if he has watched our games but one of his assistants sent me a message congratulating us on the double.”
That Leeds experience can be seen throughout Gosford with the Mariners.
Mariners head coach Mark Jackson and fellow assistant Danny Schofield also spent time with Bielsa at Leeds.
That “work ethic” has played a key role in Central Coast’s history-making season up until now having already won the Premiership and AFC Cup.
“I think it’s been an incredible season. We hope to top it off with the treble,” Clavijo said.
“It’s had it’s challenges. I came here very early on and the previous manager (Nick Montgomery) Monty left within two weeks of me being here. I pretty much took charge of the team with Abbas Saad for a month until Jacko and Danny arrived.
“The travel has been intense, had a lot of games but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the players. There’s a lot of good players here and in Asia.
“The fact we’ve been successful on top of that is a bonus.”
Clavijo’s role as second assistant and analyst with the Mariners represents his first role outside of Europe.
He made the move to link up with Championship-winning head coach Nick Montgomery heading into 2023-24, before the latter was lured to Scotland by Hibernian on the eve of the season.
The reason for travelling to the opposite side of the world was simple for Clavijo.
“I’ve always wanted to get into coaching at a professional level,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of coaching at youth level and amateur level and basically it was to get my first opportunity coaching. I agreed to come over as a second assistant to Monty and also work as an analyst.
“It didn’t matter that it was so far away, it was more about the opportunity to start my coaching journey in professional football.”
Montgomery’s departure was a shock. Clavijo went from being part of the support staff to being the main man with Abbas Saad.
But the Mariners have gone from strength to strength since Jackson’s arrival in September.
Despite losing their first four matches of the Isuzu UTE A-League season, Central Coast clinched the Premier’s Plate and got their hands on the AFC Cup – just the second Australian club to win a continental title.
For Clavijo, he has been “pleasantly surprised” about the A-Leagues.
“There’s so many good players out here,” Clavijo said. “It’s probably a market that isn’t explored as much.
“Having watched the team and how they performed in the (2023) Grand Final, I studied the team before I came out here. I saw the potential there was in the team. I was pleasantly surprised by the level because there’s a lot of good players. A lot of good young players. A lot of potential.”
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The Mariners are once again flourishing with a model that has already delivered a first Championship in 10 years.
Even after losing Montgomery and start players like Jason Cummings, Nectar Triantis and Sammy Silvera, Central Coast have exceeded their 2023-24 campaign.
They could become the first Isuzu UTE A-League team ever to win a treble.
“The main thing is they give opportunities to young players,” he said. “The majority of the team have come through the youth ranks here. That’s something that really attracted me to the club. It’s a really attractive place to come for that reason.
“I’m also a young coach learning my trade and I thought I could help with that bridging process between the U23s and the senior team given my experiences.”
Clavijo is a young coach but one who holds an advantage with an unmatched outlook on the game.
“I still have a long, long way to go. I’m very early in my coaching journey but in the future that’s the goal to become a head coach,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky enough to shadow one of the best coaches in the world and be his right-hand man and translate basically word for word what he’s saying to the players.”
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