Every word from Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa's pre-Norwich City press conference on team teams, Stuart Dallas praise and Joe Gelhardt quandary
Leeds left it late to bag a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves in their most recent league assignment last Saturday as bottom of the table Norwich were thumped 7-0 at Chelsea the same afternoon.
The newly-promoted Canaries have amassed just two points from nine games played and sit five points and three places behind fourth-bottom Leeds.
Whites head coach Bielsa is speaking to the media at 9am and all of the latest news will follow live here.
Norwich City v Leeds United - Marcelo Bielsa pre-match press conference every word
Key Events
- Marcelo Bielsa facing the media at 9am today
- Sunday 2pm kick-off between Canaries and Whites at Carrow Road
An early one!
Good morning and welcome to the live blog for Marcelo Bielsa’s pre-Norwich City press conference which is taking place at 9am this morning. Time for a coffee. All the latest news to follow here as we get it.
On Raphinha - has he been fortunate? It looked bad at the time?
“The comment you made is enough to express what it could have been and I don’t need to add anything further.”
On calls for Gelhardt to start - is he ready to make that step?
“These are things you can’t calculate. We have to go evaluating his participations and his interventions in the games. There is an important question to ask ourselves to resolve this, the player that is coming, being a young player especially, does he do it to resolve the needs of the team or if he comes on for a team that is predominating and that needs a few touches. If we compare the game against Wolverhampton, he came on in a team that was predominating and that needed some corrections and he managed to achieve it. If we compare what he did in the second half against Arsenal, he came on for a team that was not predominating in the second half and he couldn’t change the course of the game by himself, as is natural. So the precisions that you are demanding, can’t be answered easily.”
Next week for Ayling and Bamford?
There is no precise return date for the injuries of Bamford, Ayling or Koch
On Dallas difficulties - losing a friend and Covid - how impressed have you been with him?
“He is a player that is very strong mentally and he has fought so that aspects in his personal life could be overcome through willingness and mental fortitude which are the most dominant traits of his personality and that have allowed him to grow in football.”
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