Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United - Every word from Marcelo Bielsa's pre-match press conference, Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling and Robin Koch injury latest
You can follow all the very latest news from the Whites boss as it is said here.
Leeds signed off for the latest international break with a strong performance in a 1-1 draw against Leicester City at Elland Road, a game for which Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling, Robin Koch, Junior Firpo, Jamie Shackleton and Joe Gelhardt were all out injured.
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Hide AdMarcelo Bielsa' s Whites have since had two weeks off and return to action against Spurs in boss Antonio Conte's first home league game in charge.
United are approaching the weekend sat 15th in the Premier League table, three points clear of the dropzone.
Spurs are five points better off in ninth.
Marcelo is speaking to the media at 9am and everything that is said will follow here.
Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United - Every word from Marcelo Bielsa press conference
Key Events
- Sunday 4.30pm kick-off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Marcelo Bielsa spoke to the media at 9am this morning
- Six players were injured for Leicester clash before international break
Ready for Marcelo
Members of the press are now nicely gathered via Zoom and Marcelo will be with us at 9am. All the latest news to follow here.
Ayling and Bamford
“They are not available for the game on Sunday.” Asked how they are progressing: “Positively.” Asked if there is a timescale for their return: “The evolution is controlled on a daily basis and I wouldn’t want to give you a date that won’t be met. When my responses are brief it is because I cannot offer any certainty so I prefer not to say.”
On Leicester display - have the players set a standard?
“Always, when the previous game is an example for the next one, we all perceive it. But after you have to confirm it and put it into practice.”
On Spurs, Conte and Kane - and Kane’s hat-tricks during the international break?
“For a goalscorer to score, is always good for them. But having said that, even with or without the international goals, he is a player to be respected and Conte is a manager who has a set style of play that distinguishes from all other managers.”
On Koch and Firpo
“Firpo is evolving, he is healthy, all he needs is minutes now and Koch is further away from returning than Ayling and Bamford.”
On Shackleton and Gelhardt - will any of these play for the 23s today?
“Probably Gelhardt.” On Shackleton, still injured? “He is in a similar situation to Firpo, he is towards the end of the process of recovery but always in that recovery process, when the player is healthy, they still need to be match fit to be able to play.”
On Conte - is he an innovator and a new thinker?
“He is a genuine representative of his country in terms of managers, he has triumphed in every team that he has managed, he is a reference in world football, not only in the league that he participates in, and he is a coach who gets very high performances from his players. The word innovator is to produce aesthetic things from your team, in the way of playing, in the style of play. In that sense, it is very difficult to create things that haven’t been seen before but what does unify all the coaches, is the virtues that they extract from the players that they coach. That demands how you prepare them and to convince them and I think that in those two aspects, to prepare them and to convince them, that he is a master.”
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