Newcastle United v Leeds United: Marcelo Bielsa on transfer window, Gateano Berardi, Adam Forshaw, Magpies and January woes

Leeds will be looking to bounce back from last weekend's 1-0 defeat at home to Brighton after nine days without a game whereas fifth-bottom Newcastle were beaten 2-0 at Aston Villa on Saturday night.

Bielsa will be facing the media at 9.15am and all the latest news will follow here after the press conference's conclusion.

Ten days between games - a good thing? Reset button, work on training ground?

"During the 10 day period it allows us more time to implement the corrections, and also the rest is also a factor to consider in this competition."

Team news? Meslier? What else?

"Yes Meslier has resolved his health issues."

Any other news?

"No. No new news. Koch and Berardi still remain out."

On Newcastle and the game last time

"All teams have highs and lows. There are teams who have had bigger injury problems and who have had to suffer because covid a lot more than others and this has an influence in the succession of the results and the games."

Transfer window - happy with the squad or would you welcome Victor saying found another player

"No it's not contemplated that we are going to bring anyone in and what you have just mentioned hasn't happened yet. And I am happy with the squad that we have, I am comfortable with it and I feel we can finish this season with these players."

Berardi and Forshaw - can they be a part of the playing squad this season?

"Berardi will start to train with us shortly, with the group. And whilst he had a serious knee injury which kept him out for a long time, many players have had this in the past and come back to play. The problem with Forshaw is a little longer he hasn't played for over a year now. And a medical decision taken recently admit us to think he will play again in the not too distant future. Forshaw is a professional who looks after his health very much, that's why I think that as soon as his injury problems are resolved he will be able to compete very quickly. And with regards to Berardi his combined with that of Koch, Llorente, Cooper and Phillips and we have managed to resolve this. And Forshaw's one although it has been longer we have managed to resolve with Klich, Philips, Shackleton and Pascal."

the new pitch

"The club always makes efforts to help the team in all necessities. We understand the problem we had to face and we value the effort they have made so that for the rest of the winter we can play on a batter pitch, we are grateful for this help, and whilst I understand the difficulties I don't see it as a reason for the difficulties in our last game."

Have you noticed any improvement in Newcastle in last few games?

"We analyse the difficulties of the opponent. But of course we worry more about our own difficulties and our difficulties are just as present as theirs. As in every game we will try to improve ourselves as a team and we will try to be better than the opponent in all the facets possible. And we are not focused on the opponent's bad run of form, we are focused on our own game and trying to improve our own form. In no way do we feel that Newcastle's poor run of form will help us gain ours. It's not a rivals' poor run of form that will help us to improve but our own, we have to improve our own."

Bamford's 5k donation to school

"That any player from Leeds United makes a contribution to a group of people who are in need for me on a personal level it is admirable and very respectful that he was able to do this. It's very difficult that in any profession to arrive at excellence without bringing a human conduct with us. The way you dominate things in your profession can make you efficient but to achieve excellence you need to have also this human aspect and in football this is multiplied and this is because in football whilst it's a collective sport it relies a lot on the individualities of each players and those who are able to help those out in need on a human level can also transfer this to the team."

How much did you learn from the 5-2 v Newcastle

"I sort of answered this in a previous question but its not so much about the rival but about what we can do and work on, whilst having knowledge of the opponent is something we have to take into account, because it' about facing another team and trying to be superior to them, we always think that to dominate a match and to be superior is more about rather than any fortitude or weakness that the opponent has. Knowing about your rival doesn't man that you are going to be able to do something about it. It's not so much about knowing what you are going to face it's about being able to be superior to them."

Newcastle being gloves off - how much does that help Leeds?

"We have the same objective as them."

This long without a game, how important to try different things in training

"Well the training sessions are resourced to incorporate our habits and also to correct a few things and in this resource there is a way we can vary it."

Raphinha going central with his runs

"The players who play on the wing are playing in an unlimited amount of space, different to the players in the middle who are able to go both ways. Those who play on the wing play in a longitudinal plane inhibited by the lines so there is only one way they can go, and the spaces are reduced so as resource the players use coming inside as another resource, if it is done with surprise it is very effective. But if the movements are not done at pace then all it does is generate congestion in the middle of the pitch, What the attackers look for are empty spaces, and when there are too many platters in and around the same position instead of spaces opening up, they close. And the way to do it is by looking for spaces or making runs into spaces where there is free space so you can surprise the opponent."

Lllorente being back - how pleasing and what attributes will he bring?

"The minutes with the under 23s was an aspect that was missing so he could return with us, and Lllorente has the characteristics of a strong defender. He's a player that is happy recovering the ball and he is a player who has physical attributes which can help in the aerial game and also in the physical duels on the game."

Will the break help mentally and physically and how do you assess that state?

"The physical performance of Leeds United is available to those who would like to look at them. The physical performance is judged by looking at 4 or 5 different aspects and there are reports that allow you to evaluate it. Before every game Leeds' physical values are always superior to the opponents and after every game Leeds' physical performance still remained better than all of the opponents without exception and with one added thing. With the added thing that a lot of the teams who face Leeds produce their best physical game of the season up to that point and we are also able to be better than them. That's why we should listen to all the opinions because we all have the right to be listened to them but there is information that is readily available to everyone that allow us to verify whether the opinions being made are the correct ones or the wrong ones. So to verify whether throughout the season whether it is true that is my teams run less or become tired, it is information that is incorrect that anyone who has an opinion that has an opinion over this aspect can look and see that they are wrong, There are fields and subjects which you can have an opinion and there are other subjects which you can measure and the things you can measure you can see whether they are correct or not and that has nothing to do with the liberty of the right to express yourself nor with the arguments that the person who makes the argument uses. It's just a fact of the person who is writing it ignoring the facts that are there for everyone to see."

On having bad January's - why is that?

"Nothing in particular. I want to know if the response I gave you, whether it is sufficient in this sense. You are telling me that in the last three seasons in a particular month the performance levels have dropped in this particular month. So when you ask me this question I think does anything reiterate that happens in this period that happens why we we would lower our performance so I look back and see if anything has happened repeatedly over these three periods and I can't see anything that has happened repeatedly for me to give you a reason over why this has happened. It's not important just to find similar situations but to indicate why they happen. And because there is nothing there I reiterated that has happened over and over again I can't give you an answer. For this case I think that each if three segments should be analysed separately, there is not a motive that links them from my point of view"

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/jamie-redknapp-mulls-over-paceless-newcastle-uniteds-prospects-against-bang-out-form-leeds-united-3111068

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Thank you Laura Collins