Marcelo Bielsa Leeds
Congratulations Marcelo on another victory. Firstly, what a season! How pleased are you with the display and can you at this early stage after the last game, analyse the season as a success?
It’s difficult to offer a conclusion. Because on one side, I am very satisfied with what the team achieved, but on the other side I feel like we could have added a few more points. If we divided the competition in two, in the second part of the season we received 15 per cent less of the goals than we did in the first part. Had we had that security defensively in the whole campaign, we could have added those points I would have liked this season. Anyway, I’m satisfied with what we achieved. It’s very difficult to win a game in the Premier League, very difficult. And on the other side like I said, I feel like we could have had a few more points.
Were you proud of the way your players responded with the emotion of the day and how emotional was it for you?
I thought it was an unforgettable game. It was a great homage to two players that stopped belonging to Leeds. The responses that the got, only players who gave a lot deserve it. And players of the roots. The performance of Pablo today indicates that he deserved more minutes than the ones I gave him this year. Berardi after such a long time without playing, he showed he can still be current. But the most important thing is that the public, the players, the team-mates, the staff showed recognition to those two players. You can play very well, and be a great player, but to be a great professional and to become a reference in a place where you’ve played, what’s missing is to be a good human. I always thought that there are loads of great players, but great professionals who imprint their stamp upon a club, are those who apart from play well are good people. During a lot of years within Leeds to exemplify a virtue that I would like to explain, we’re going to take Berardi and Pablo as examples.
The crowd sang your name. We don’t know what’s in your head right now, but is there any part of today that will have convinced you that little bit more that this is the right decision to stay here?
More than I have received from Leeds, I can’t imagine I will receive more. And everything Leeds offers to a coach or a manager, exceeds the expectations of those who have this job.
Looking back on your three years in charge, how far do you feel Leeds have come as a club and as a team?
Sincerely, the evolution of the team has been very big. And this is linked with the rush of the individual and the team to be better. It’s very common for a human being to say they want to be better, but it’s not very common that a human being puts himself in the surroundings to be able to grow. And to make all the effort demanded, and manage to perform at the highest possibilities that each one has.
What have you enjoyed about your first season in the Premier League? Has it met your expectations?
I think that the Premier League as an organisation, as a structure, as a competition, I can’t imagine things that I would correct or that I could better. And when I see the way in which it functions, observing that if anything can be bettered they have the capacity and the method to correct it and to improve it.
We saw the worrying site of Kalvin Phillips limping off at the end there. Do you have any indication of the problem Kalvin has and how serious it might be?
No, sincerely I haven’t received any information to the gravity of the injury. We all hope that it’s something that can be resolved quickly. Knowing the fortitude of Kalvin, I know that he has the resources to quicken whatever problem he may have.
