Manchester City v Leeds United: Every word Marcelo Bielsa had to say on injuries, suspensions and Mateusz Klich's abuse

Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa will sit down with the media on Monday lunchtime ahead of a midweek trip to Manchester City - follow live here.
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The Whites travel to the Etihad to take on Pep Guardiola' s outfit in the Premier League on Tuesday night (8pm).

We'll bring you every word from what Bielsa has to say ahead of the meeting with the reigning top flight champions below, with the Leeds boss due to answer questions at around 12.30pm.

Follow live below on the Yorkshire Evening Post's blog...

Marcelo Bielsa pre-Manchester City media briefing

Key Events

  • Leeds travel to face City on Tuesday night (8pm)
  • Whites sit 15th, City are top of the Premier League
  • Bielsa to face media at around 12.45pm on Monday
  • Live updates below from the Thorp Arch press conference

Are you worried over the possible suspensions?

“There’s no need for an added recommendation to the one we usually make.

“It’s just to avoid actions which will make you be booked. That recommendation is never conditions to the amount of bookings a player is on.

“The same recommendation is kept because we always try to not be booked, whether we are on the limits or not.”

Is it a concern your team has got more bookings this season?

“Sincerely I haven’t observed this subject to answer you. I would need to analyse it with a lot of care. Sometimes it is causal and the details generate a yellow, sometimes it’s excess due to enthusiasm.

“For example, Tyler [Roberts] received a yellow when he went to challenge for a ball and an opponent unbalanced him before had. He arrived out of time and was cautioned.

“That is casual. I don’t think we are a violent team. I don’t think we’re defending worse. Nor do we use the interruption of the game as a defensive resource.”

Struijk, he is unavailable then?

“He is not going to be available. The injury Pascal has is not very frequent. An explosive movement made two bones in his feet collide.

“It doesn’t generate an injury or muscular but it had an effect as a knock on his bone, which generates pain. Unless the pain disappears it will stop him playing.

“In my career I have never seen an injury like that. It is the same as Rodrigo’s heel problem, which only disappears when the pain disappears.

“I also haven’t seen that. The specialists who treat it say there are very few cases.”

Man City - they are beatable, you showed that last year...

“I don’t think we exploited fragilities or weaknesses in the games against them last year.

“At City I always see a constant evolution in the offensive variables.

“Players of different characteristics combine in different parts of the pitch. There is so many combinations, different players, central attackers out wide and offensive midfielders as attackers or as wingers.

“They have different types of wingers and a tendency of a diagonal in behind or dropping in.

“The contribution of the full-backs and the interpretation of the mixed midfielder as one more attacker.

“The risk they take playing out from the back is very good.”

How is the mood after Chelsea?

“To lose always generates disappointment and frustration.

“The efforts are valued more when you get something from them. The feeling and the mood is always affected.

“We try to face these opponents on the same level.”

You’ve dropped a lot of points from winning positions... the most in the Premier League

“I value that point. I didn’t know it. I haven’t analysed it fully. It could be because we continue to attack when we go ahead.

“Sometimes to not make mistakes you give the ball to opponent which increases their chance to attack.”

How important has Raphinha been for you? Do you need to share the burden?

“Individuals always have a lot of incidents in the game. We’re inspired by the goals we have scored, that has to do with one player in particular.

“We try to go through all of the paths of scoring.”

“For a goalscorer, young or not, it always improves self-esteem.”

Klich received abuse after Chelsea

“Football is a game that contains errors. To imagine footballers without the possibility of making mistakes would take away the inhabitation that is needed in a creative game.

“Nobody wants to make errors. Everyone always combines to avoid them.

“If you look at all the goals scored every weekend you would have to look very hard to find one that couldn’t have been avoided.”

How do you plan on managing Gelhardt’s expectations?

“It all depends on the needs of the team and how we value his resources.

“He is a player who has resources we can take advantage of. The needs of the team will show if we need an attacker to participate, especially when he shows efficiency.”

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