Leeds United coach Marcelo Bielsa on Thursday hit out at journalists who he said are trying to destabilize his players by suggesting he changes his attacking tactics.
The 65-year-old Argentine has transformed the fortunes of the once ailing giants, restoring their English Premier League status after a 16-year hiatus.
His strategy of all-out attack and effectively shoot on sight has drawn plenty of praise, but there have been some heavy defeats, including Sunday’s 6-2 rout at Manchester United.
Photo: Reuters
Leeds approach the busy festive period beginning tomorrow with a home game against Burnley in 14th place, seven points above the relegation zone.
“It’s just another way to try to ridicule me,” Bielsa said at a news conference, referring to the questioning of his strategy.
Bielsa, or “El Loco,” arrived with a dossier and spent more than 40 minutes analyzing his team’s loss at Old Trafford.
“I don’t worry too much about what the press think,” Bielsa said. “What does worry me is what is written influences the public, they decrease the capacity to understand for the public. Also, they try to destabilize things by suggesting to the players the style needs to be changed. Of course, this happens when the results allow. It doesn’t matter if in the previous game, the opinion was completely different.”
The former Argentina and Chile coach said that it is only normal that when someone is down the media put the boot in.
“The best way to win is to play well. So nobody can say I put style over results,” Bielsa said. “Normally, when there is adversity, what the press do is try to weaken the one who is facing adversity or to ridicule the style of play of a team.”
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