Everton v Leeds United - Marcelo Bielsa press conference every word, Kalvin Phillips latest

Marcelo Bielsa spoke to the media this morning ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash against Everton at Goodison Park.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The two teams are side by side in the Premier League table, Leeds 15th after Wednesday night's 3-3 draw at Aston Villa, four points and one place above the Toffees who were beaten 3-1 at Newcastle United on Tuesday night.

The Merseyside outfit have a game in hand on Leeds but Frank Lampard's newly-inherited side have lost their last four league games.

Lampard will now face Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa for the sixth time in his short managerial career.

Bielsa spoke to the press at 9am and here is every word said by the Whites head coach.

Everton v Leeds United - Marcelo Bielsa press conference LIVE

Key Events

  • Saturday 3pm kick-off at Goodison Park
  • Whites and Toffees side by side in Premier League table
  • Leeds 15th, four points and one place ahead of hosts
  • Frank Lampard’s side have a game in hand

Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa will be holding his pre-match press conference at 9am and we will bring you everything that is said here.

Marcelo Bielsa will be with us in around 20 minutes’ time for his pre-Everton press conference and we will bring you everything that is said here. Stay tuned. Injuries still top of the list, likely that Firpo could be back to face the Toffees. And will Forshaw start?

Members of the press are all gathered via Zoom

Marcelo takes his seat.

On the team’s character at Villa, and this season with so much adversity with injuries

“In seasons like the one we are going through where there is constant adversity, it is important to be able to face it with a strong mental fortitude.”

On Lampard, Everton and the games that follow - does it make this even more important?

“We are thinking of this game. Of course there are a series of games that come after that are very difficult but we are fundamentally focusing on tis game. It is a sequence that has its difficulty, not that they are difficult.”

On Phillips - where is he at in his recovery?

“He is expected to return in the first few days of March and his recovery has been going as predicted.”

On Firpo - is he available this weekend?

“He is healthy but we are not going to anticipate his return, he will return for next week.”

How significant is this game in increasing the gap to the bottom three?

“Every game and every point that is picked up is having repercussions whether that be at the bottom of the table or in the middle of the table.”

On James and Rodrigo together - how would you like to see that develop?

“They compliment each other, Rodrigo is able to act as a centre forward and James is constantly opening up spaces for him. They compliment each other because Rodrigo has a good capacity for a pass and James makes a lot of movements into the space.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.