What Marcelo Bielsa said about Leeds United loss vs Man Utd, Robin Koch and missile incident in pre-Liverpool press conference
and live on Freeview channel 276
The Whites travel to Liverpool on Wednesday to fulfil the Anfield trip that was postponed over Christmas due to an outbreak of coronavirus infections in the Leeds camp.
Jürgen Klopp's side, second in the rankings, will hope to use their game in hand to gain ground on league leaders Manchester City who, having dropped points in recent games, are just six points clear of the Reds.
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Hide AdMarcelo Bielsa' s men, meanwhile, look to recover from a disappointing defeat to Manchester United on Sunday and pick up points after a strong weekend of results for the Whites' relegation rivals.
Bielsa spoke to the media on Tuesday morning and you can catch up with everything the Whites boss had to say below.
Liverpool v Leeds United: Marcelo Bielsa speaks to the media ahead of the Whites’ midweek Premier League fixture
Key Events
- Marcelo Bielsa will sit down to answer questions at 9am
Do you support the club in handing out lifetime bans for fans throwing missiles?
It’s not necessary in my opinion to evaluate that actions of the club in this case. We are all in agreement that that extra-sporting stuff damaged the game. With respect to the previous question which I answered very briefly, that made a lot of sense over the subject that I was interrogating because the sin of the coaches is that we try to intervene too much. I’m a big part of that. A lot of times, the art of coaching is to decide what is indispensable.
When there’s such a quick turnaround between games, does Marcelo have to be selective about what he focuses on?
Yes, that’s what it’s all about.
What did you think of Firpo on Sunday?
Just as you describe it. I didn’t think it was at the start or the end of the game, it was successive runs that made that - within the same play.
Did you see enough from Raphinha on Sunday to warrant putting him back into the side tomorrow night?
The fact that he didn’t start the last game does not mean that his hierarchy in the team are not... The team is always made up of more than eleven starters.
Do you enjoy the physical aspect of the English game? For example, some of the challenges that Paul Tierney permitted on Sunday that helped generate the atmosphere.
I think that the referee in England helps to make the league more attractive.
How impressed are you with the resilience that Liverpool are showing at the moment?
It’s one of the great teams in the league. All of their qualities have been largely already described.
What are the main positive elements you are taking from your players’ performance on Sunday?
The dominance was alternate. The situations at goal which we created were similar. You couldn’t see a massive difference in the play between the two teams. The result that the game deserved wasn’t our defeat. I also feel uncomfortable having to say again that we didn’t get what we deserved.
Liverpool could close the gap to 1st to three points with a win tomorrow. How do you look to disrupt their form and momentum?
Like in every game, trying to prevent their attacks from damaging us and making our attacks damage them. I know that there’s questions that I answer commonly, and I give empty responses, but there’s questions that are impossible to answer synthetically. Apart from that, I’ve been saying the same things for four years now. To think that certain questions could be avoided because you already know the answers.
Elland Road’s support for you was evident on Sunday. What did that mean to you, and what part will it play in the end of the season?
What it has to do with me, I appreciate that the fans have more patience than they should. And what it has to do with the situation of the team, I think it’s a recognition of what the team tries to achieve but don’t manage to. It’s a recognition of what they deserve to get, and the effort that is witnessed. The attitude of the fans is an example for us because the ones that believe the most in our possibilities is our fans.
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