Leeds United v Newcastle United: Every word Marcelo Bielsa said in his pre-match press conference

With respect to the players that they’ve brought in, their positions are very specific. A right full-back and a centre-forward. It’s their centre-forward who comes to replace the player who usually plays in that position. They’re both classic centre-forwards, even if they have different characteristics, they both play as centre-forwards. The same with their right full-back, who plays at different heights down the right hand side. Those two signings are, from my point of view - and only with the rush to answer your question - because it is very difficult to interpret the opponent’s coach, and it is also inconvenient - but from my point of view, the players don’t alter the way Newcastle play, but the individualities who enrich a squad.

Not with so many players, but it is very intriguing. Not so much how many injuries, but that the players who are injured are those who play in similar positions. In some way, we’ve always found solutions. It’s likely that for the game on the weekend that we’re going to recover Rodrigo, Roberts and Gelhardt. So the players out of the squad in that position are going to be Patrick Bamford and Sam Greenwood. Progressively, we have been resolving the situations that present themselves. The same with the absence of Pascal, Cooper, Diego, Koch. We’ve been resolving them with the contribution of Ayling as a centre-back and Koch as a defensive mid when he has been healthy, Forshaw as a defensive mid. It’s also true that all the clubs have problems with counting on all of their players.

We have to see how many points are in play, see what games the other teams have. You have to see in the succession of results which see tendencies - positive or negative - of each team. So after half of the season has passed, to discard any evolution or involution of each team it is not convenient, especially in a league that is so difficult.

No, he’s had many games where he has shone. The many actions where he has imbalanced in lots of games. To say that this was his best game in a Leeds shirt, I don’t have it so clear, but he has a player who it is easy to remember his goals, assists, dribbles, and good performances.

He’s found a system, a habitual group of players, an eleven which repeats itself regularly, and he’s evened the team out in all of the games, they have been close to every opponent in all of the games they’ve played. This all talks positively about the job that he is doing.

Moreover than my opinion, there’s evidence of the growth of Leeds United since Victor Orta has been here. The teams are produced through the individualities. In that sense, he has picked well. I think he’s found the adequate players that adapt to the way of playing of Leeds. The majority of them are young, and the players that have arrived here are usually worth more after they’ve been here. That means he’s picked players with a margin of growth, a potential to be better. He’s a person who knows the market very well with regard to young players and different countries. He’s picked young players who are very good. Just to name a few - Pascal, Gelhardt, Hjelde. All of these things, you don’t need me to describe them because I’m describing things that you can see in reality.

What has happened to him has been premature. I don’t think it’s good for a player of his age to occupy the space that he has, and have these opportunities. If I could have avoided it, I would have done it. The players, we have to put them in positions where they can assume the problems or possibilities that arise, and obviously Gray is not prepared to compete in the Premier League. But the reality took him to be there deservedly. Every time I form a group for the squad, I always pick the best of those available. Of course, he is a player that is full of virtues. In spite of being so young, he can compete. But clearly his process has been altered to get to be an elite player. He has the resources to achieve it, he will achieve it. He is very, very strong mentally. He has the conditions, the qualities to play in every sector of the pitch. Apart from that, he is a player who is very intelligent. I ignore what his life is, usually, but given how he behaves with us on a day to day basis I can see that his education is really well-controlled.

The next game is always the next thing on our minds. But it is true that a victory like that always improves the mood. To prepare a game with the tranquility of a victory is better than doing it without, but the most important thing is always the next game. To have won the last game doesn’t give you any guarantees in the next one. To lose the next one is to take away some of the shine of the previous victory. So we always try to lean on what happened but always looking forward to the next.

The players that have rest mid-season makes the percentage of injuries a lot smaller. So the rest is part of the preparation in the life of a footballer. I have the feeling that a high dosage of rest is the most important thing at this point in the season.

Llorente and probably Tyler Roberts and Gelhardt. And we maintain the presence of Rodrigo, who played thirty minutes last week.