Manchester United v Leeds United: Marcelo Bielsa on Roses rivalry, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Sir Alex Ferguson and Whites fitness update

LEEDS United head coach Marcelo Bielsa held his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash at Manchester United today.
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Leeds are approaching Sunday's clash at Old Trafford following Wednesday night's superb 5-2 victory at home to Newcastle United which saw the Whites bounce back in style after a run of four points from a last possible 18.

Here is what Bielsa had to say to the gathering media via Zoom call.

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The win against Newcastle - have you calmed down yet and what impact did it have?

THE BIG ONE: Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa. Graphic by Graeme Bandeira.THE BIG ONE: Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa. Graphic by Graeme Bandeira.
THE BIG ONE: Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa. Graphic by Graeme Bandeira.

"In relation to the game against Man United we are just finished up looking up at the Newcastle game and starting to look at Manchester United now."

On the Leeds/Man U rivalry

"Leeds doesn't ignore what it means to play such a game and we are prepared to adapt to the characteristics that this game will demand."

On Solskjaer, been under pressure but sticking to beliefs

"We are all over observed and this is a situation where no coach is exempt. And it increases or decreases depending on the success that the team has, it is part of the job. And of course Solskjaer has built up very well with this aspect that we have spoken about."

On concussion subs and not having 5 subs

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"These are the decisions that are taken by the people in charge that of course have information from scientists and other sources and I will adapt to whatever the rules are."

The concussion subs must be a benefit?

"Any decision that protects the health of the players is welcome."

You and Solskjaer have both managed teams you played for (Man U and Newell's)

"It's not exactly the same, Solskjaer was a reference for Man United and I played two games in the top division. Normally when a player has played for a long time in a team they have affections of the fans and they have more of their support."

Do you do any research into this game as part of preparing?

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"The motivation or repercussions of motivation are all linked to what you can get from the following result. When what happens on the pitch can have a big impact on the fans it increases the responsibility and it multiplies the desire to impose yourself."

Beating Man U with Bilbao

"It is was a very solid memory. I think you are referring to the Athletic Bilbao and Manchester United game. The memories are many. Initially to the players who produced the performance, to the 8000 Basque fans who attended the game. The image of them being installed to the right hand side of me, I have it still in my memory and that triumph is in the memory of all the Athletic fans and what it has to do with me is that it solidifies the link I have with the Athletic fans and the Basque people. And there is one thing that clearly shows the effect that this type of game has on the fans, this kind of result increases the art of a city, of a place, of the people of the village of the place but not from a commercial point of view but from the imagination that comes from the body and is expressed in the culture. There are works and sculptures, jewellery, paintings, readings or writings that are produced by normal people, common people where the feeling that is created is something unimaginable - the same as when Phillips had a mural done of him but done in a smaller way with different manifestations by normal people who don't want the recognition. They don't want any payment for them or anything in return and they show the pride that it is to be part of a tribe. For example there is something I don't forget which is that when you say hi to a Basque person and they are a Athletic fan, the first thing they do is show you your season ticket or they tell you they are a season ticket holder and tell you for how long they have been and this is a form of identity, like it was a document. That game synthesis a lot with what Athletic is all about."

How much have you translated those feelings over to the players?

"First of all I was part of a victory and this victory was less for the protagonists and more for the fans and if I had to make a reference of a big rivalry I would use one of personal experience as a Newell's fan or player against Rosario and in these types of games, big clashes, I prefer to stop and ask and listen to what the players who are going to play in the game feel about the game because if we listen to them we can see how the affection of the players functions. One of the big losses that football is missing is the measure of results of what are happening in the football world. It is impossible to talk about feelings and the nucleus of football is every time less and less about the feelings and it will come at a time when the fans won't be able to have the feelings that will be able to identify them with a team."

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Does it have more of an edge because of the feelings between the two teams

"Football is identification and you can identify yourself when you face these type of opponents. The bond of communication grows stronger in these types of games and the fans will say I am from this side and the side that I am from his represented by this badge and this history and to show what I am it is very important to have a big opponent and to defeat them. This process in history, especially in English football, in any rivalry you will see this, it will reinforce everything that I am saying and it puts into manifest that we are getting away from this romanticism."

Injuries and fatigue update?

"There is no injuries and the time for recovery has been sufficient and if possible I would like to avoid the following question."

17 points - assessment so far

"17 points is a decent amount but it wouldn't have been an injustice to have had a few more."

The murals of you - how have they made you feel?

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"It makes me very proud and I am very thankful for it and of course I won't forget it."

On Hernandez being on the bench

"For any player it is difficult for them to be a sub for the prestigious players and those who are idols it is even more difficult. But in a parallel way in football now everybody can play and before the start of a competition nobody can be guaranteed how many minutes they will play. We understand it is this way and there is no doubt that it is difficult to put this into practice in a harmonious way. For example the other day I was made aware that it is normal for a player who is subbed to manifest their feelings in a bad way, I heard it from a commentator from a different league in another country and it came to my attention that up until one point it was common to understand that that the player who doesn't play all the minutes wants to play and of coyotes I understand the dissatisfaction and without doubt it is difficult to manage this."

Always understood the rivalry between Leeds and Man U?

"Well of course I have been here for 2 and a half years now and I know the immediate history or the club of course."

Will you miss the away fans more than any other game?

"The absence of fans is always something that is hurtful, there is always a reason to say that it is hurtful that the fans are not there."

What is your stance on being allowed 3 subs or 5?

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"I would have to express everything that I think. I know both of the positions have been made publicly, what Klopp's opinion is over this matter and that of the Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder, they are two people that I respect a lot and I advise thoroughly what both of them think and I have heard it directly from them in the meeting that there was. These types of situations generate limits and the limits always generate conclusions. And the limits have value upon them with the people who express them because it is a form of gathering all of the information and learning from the conclusions and the limits can also be taken advantage of. instead of listening to the arguments you focus on the clash between the two people and so as much as I can I try not to participate. And I would humbly ask you listen to both of their points of views because they explain both in a very detailed manner."

I would like yours?

"I have already answered."

On the Newell's and Rosario rivalry - what was that like - and is it right your father was Rosario?

"With respect to the rivalry it is very marked, I would like to simplify it in something that can shorten it with an image that I remember. If you arrive in Rosario a week before this game is played you can perceive it. And the influence of the result, the mood of those who are participants is there to see and to be sincere you always fear that when you have an opinion it can be deemed as being a demagogue and I suppose that a lot of people who are from Newell's would feel the same way as what I am expressing, they wouldn't change any sporting triumph if we compare it to winning this game. I am going to say it with more clarity, if you were to ask a Newell's fan whether they wanted to be champions of South America or win this game they would probably say be the champions of South America but if you asked them the day before the game they would say they wanted to win the game as that's exactly what I feel."

On Sir Alex Ferguson

"I have noted down a memory with respect to that game that we played against Man United and anything that I say about Ferguson is just to confirm everything that he has already done and of course what Ferguson means to all of his colleagues. I have noted that anyone who is in the presence of Ferguson it is like receiving a medal but in relation to the game that we played he had a praise that I never forgot. He said that he wasn't surprised that Athletic had won, that it is within what was possible and that he also wasn't surprised how much the team had run to be on equal terms with them. Nut what did surprise him was that on the day of the game in the morning because the game was night, what surprised him was that my tam had trained for an hour and half in the morning of that game and I never forgot that comment from him because some people talk about training on the day of a game as an exaggeration but there is something that justifies training in the day of a game. Of course the training consumes some energy that would be necessary on the night but they are training sessions that advise of the coordination's needed on the night of the game that lead to running less in the game because you run in the correct manner so it is difficult to explain there is a training session necessary on the day of the game but the justification was that the training was needed for the team to run in a coordinated manner and therefore to run less but as well as all know any explanation of this to be valid it would need to be followed up by a victory."

Have Man U ever approached you about filling a vacancy?

"No."

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