Bielsa Press Conference: Pre-Sheff Utd

Marcelo is here...

Underway very soon


Team news - Jansson - will he be ready?

"We think he will be available and ready to play. I take precautions always before telling you this but we think he will be available. I always take precautions with players who haven't played in the last 20 days."


On Jansson's form

I saw all the games he played last year but I don't see any difference. But anyway I didn't do anything special, if I said anything on the contrary it wouldn't be true. I can talk about his skills, I have seen very few players with this consistency. I haven't seen many players that tall and that heavy that can have the same response as a full back. If you are interested in checking what I am saying, in the game against Weest Brom there was a challenge with no 15 - he follows him - the action where he gets injured - it shows what I am talking about.


Can he play at the highest level?

The only thing that make some doubt my conclusions is the fact that he is not playing at the highest level that makes me think that my conclusions on him are wrong. When we talk about the highest level, we would say that Leeds is also a team at the highest level. It's always convenient to take care of these details!


On Sheffield United - can it compare to derbies in Argentina?

I haven't experienced a game against Sheffield United so I couldn't make a comparison but I can say that the derby in Rosario is something very special, you can't compare it to anything.


On Alioski - and the dive

I never accept cheating, I always reject cheating. Sometimes people think that cheating is a smart thing to do, even if I don't condemn it, from a personal point of view I wouldn't want that in someone and there's a difference between not rewarding someone and not condemning - I am not doing either. I think the role of the referee is very difficult. Trying to cheat is not something that will help the referee and we have to be comprehensive to understand him when he makes mistakes and we don't have to provoke him and leave him making mistakes. But I don't like to criticise the footballers who cheat because when they go through the formation process, there is no sanction for cheating. I don't imagine myself when I was 12 years old challenging a team mate in my team because he got a penalty by cheating. When you cheat during a football game you can't compare it with morality of life and human beings and that's usually what we do. I talk too much. My conclusion is I don't want to criticise Alioski because I like him a lot.


On Phillips at CB

Usually the defensive midfielder is the third centre back of the team so when he plays as a centre back he does actions that he used to do. But one thing is to take a decision when you know you have three team mates behind you and another thing is to make a decision knowing you only have one behind. You see that sometimes that defensive midfielders try to recover the ball without being sure they can,. the centre back doesn't take these risks.


Is Phillips the most improved?

I am too much in love with my players so my opinion is not a subjective one, before sleeping when imagining we are playing Liverpool I always think I can beat them, that's why the opinion I have on my players is a subjective one.


On Phillips again

He is a versatile player and that is a very important skill in modern football. If you look at his game last year he played some games last year as offensive midfielder, and then as a no 8, and then as a no 4 and now he plays as a centre back. I think if I had to do the same process but backwards I think he could play in these positions with good results and this tells a lot about him because usually players lose their versatility when they drop back. Dallas for example looks more and more like a full back.


How close is Clarke to starting?

You evaluate the players according to the number of obstacles they overcome. If you have a look at the first part of the second half from a physical point of view he didn't have the same in the second half so you always ask yourself questions about it. Of course he has many things to learn yet and he has to look at Pablo Hernandez as an example. Pablo has many details that Jack Clarke can learn only by looking at him. What Pablo does, you can't teach to a player in the game. Sometimes Pablo goes to a zone in the pitch and because he goes to the zone he receives the ball and puts the ball in another zone where the defensive density is lower. The fans remember the important things.

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