Bielsa Press Conference: Pre-QPR (Cup)

Good afternoon

Welcome to Thorp Arch for today's pre-QPR press conference as the Whites prepare to take on Steve McClaren's side in the FA Cup.


Bielsa has arrived


Bielsa on FA Cup

It's a known competition of English football. For those who have watched English football they know what the FA Cup is about.


Bielsa on team selection this weekend

The evaluation of each football player allows you to build a team. I'm going to give you some arguments I use to build a team. You have players who are not usually starters but they deserve to be starters. I take this into account for the FA Cup. You also have players who are starters that need to start, you also have players who prefer to play than rest. These arguments are the ones I take into account to build the starting eleven.


Should it be a head coaches right to make wholesale changes?

In my point of view it doesn't mean that someone having an opposite view would be a wrong one. I don't need to be obliged to respect each game we play, before starting the season I know what the calendar is. So we draw up plans to play all the competitions. I never underestimate an official competition. It's among the compromises of the team. The FA Cup has history that I don't have to make a summary about, I will respect it.


Bielsa names starting 11

I'm going to tell you who will start. Peacock-Farrell, Shackleton at right-back, Halme because Jansson will train normally from Monday or Tuesday. Ayling will play too. Davis will play too because Douglas is injured and it's a player who is going to be missing for a while, it's a muscular injury. It's not that serious because he could finish against Nottingham. Forshaw will play as a number four, Baker will play as a number eight, Klich has played 36 games so will be rested. Pablo too will have a rest. Tyler Roberts will play and for the three offensive players Harrison, Clarke and Alioski will play. Bamford is not present I am interested in seeing Harrison as a number nine. When he played there he scored a goal.


Bielsa on Douglas injury

It's not too bad. We are prepared to solve this absence. We have Davis who can play as a full-back.


Bielsa on transfers

I don't think many players will come in. If the club can get players than the ones than we already have and in the position where we suffered some injuries. For example Saiz left and Pablo plays as a playmaker so we need a winger. The injury of Jamal Blackman has not been covered by another player these are two positions we are trying to solve. If players come it will be better but if we trust the players we have.


Berardi and Dallas back soon?

Berardi is well now. We'll see during January when we can put him inside the team. The process is the same with Liam Cooper. The idea is that he plays with the Under-23s then with the first team. The process of recovery the medical staff are doing have been always very efficient. The injured player when they come back to the first team is that good that you don't see the previous injury. Dallas started to train today, the problem with him is because it is a bone we have to wait until it heals.


Bielsa on Ayling

Ayling needs to play because he feels he hasn't reached his performance. At the same time we have Phillips suspended.


Bielsa on Bamford/Brown fitness

Izzy Brown is fit but he hasn't played in the last year. Usually a process for a player like him is to play with the Under-23s first so if everything goes well by mid-February he will be in a position to be in the first team. Bamford suffered an injury similar to before but not as serious and we have to take precautions.


Bielsa asked about naming his side

It's not convenient to give the starting eleven because from not to Sunday many things can happen. That's why I never give it. At this moment all of our opponents know more about us than about them. We don't do it because it is efficient. We do it because we want to increase the precautions. When I started as a head coach we had three people on the staff now we have 15 - it hasn't made the game better but there is more work! That's why for me to give the starting eleven or not it's not important. I wanted to give it today because the general opinion on my decisions are important to me and I wanted to explain that I do not underestimate the competition.


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https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/qpr-v-leeds-united-press-conference-live-marcelo-bielsa-meets-the-media-ahead-of-fa-cup-clash-1-9520344