Pressern:
We're in place at Thorp Arch...
It’s pretty wet and gloomy here near Wetherby, but we’re in place to hear from Bielsa.
He’s due up 12.30pm, so hang tight for a couple of minutes...
First question - team news
It’s going to be the same group of players.
There is nothing new to say.
Any Nketiah update?
Next Thursday he’s going to work, train with the group. And from there we’ll see how it’s going with him.
How did well Pablo get through Saturday?
He played an important match for us. He built offensive play in the right and in the centre and it was a positive return for him.
Fine to start again tomorrow?
Yes.
Winner at Luton - own goal or Bamford's?
So,if the second wasn’t, he got one.
Reading - what changes have you seen under their new head coach?
The results improved. And they kept their shape. THe point the proposal of the new manager was welcome in the sense that they kept the shape but they have improved their results.
How much do you know about Mark Bowen?
I always try to interpret coaches regarding how their teams play.
The profile of the player is an offensive thing. In the midfield they have creative players - 8, 10, 14. Both attackers have impact. Both full-backs have impact when they are attacking.
So if we are talking about seven players with an offensive profile and one shape where they have kept playing the same, so we are talking about one manager that he knows about what he wants.
You have more information, where his career, where he has coached, if he was assistant, you know all these things.
But more important is what every manager gets from their teams.
You've made a lot of changes here at the club as a whole - what changes do you need to achieve success?
The owner of the club he has shown a lot of generosity about everything here offered to us.
Today the club has a very good group of players. Young and experienced as well, a good balance.
We cannot think of better conditions, facilities that we have now.
The club treats players for their professional work. In one way it is difficult to improve this.
I don’t have an excessive or different idea to bring, but simply I always think and try to work in the best way we can, iIt is the better resources, the better conditions available.
For this reason, I mention the investment the club have made to footballers and staff works in ideal conditions and every worker here in the club, the medical staff, fitness staff, food, nutritionists, the groundsmen, cleaners, security, all the things you cannot see, there is a lot of work here and investment and it’s not normal that the owner of the club doesn’t invest in things that you can’t see.
And also with the manager they have tried to bring new players and build quality. The same with the academy which is always giving players to the first team.
Have your players improved more so they know how to influence more this season?
I think that last season, the level of the performance of the players was high. We had also the problem of efficiency last season and this year it’s similar.
But probably last season we made more mistakes that in the current season we are not doing.
Do you have more options in your squad this year?
Let me think. Cooper, Jansson, Berardi last seaston. And today we have Ayling, White, Cooper. On the left the same, the number eight and four is the same (as last season).
Maybe in the playmaker position last season we has Saiz, Baker and Brown. This year we have Klich, Roberts, now Shackleton is more involved in the team than last season.
Nketiah and Roofe are similar, same function.
Last season we had Harrison and Pablo, Clarke and Alioski, they are players that we keep.
I think that the options are similar. Maybe we have less injured players this season.
But also you have to think Shackleton is not the same last year as this in the sense that he has worked for one year and is closer to playing.
I think that both teams are quite similar.
How close was Cooper to starting at the weekend?
Probably he plays, he starts the match. Not 100 per cent, but probably he plays.
He has played 30 minutes in the last match, today he has trained just a few and we’re going to wait how he is tomorrow but if he doesn’t start, Berardi will start as he has played well, correct, in the last match.
Two goals scored in each of last few games - how important is that?
Yes, we have a lack of efficiency regarding our chances.
For each time in the last match we needed 16 chances to get two goals and the opponent just needed four chances to score one.
That means that we have a lot to develop yet in our offensive play and in every mistake we have defensively we suffer the consequences.
We have crossed 24 times before the first cross of them where they scored. And they crossed just once and they score.
What we have to improve is the last pass from the middle or the sides and we have to pay attention, a lot when we defend because the opponent needs less than us to score.
We cannot say that we have to correct this. because if the opponent has four chances when we have four times more, 16 chances, we cannot say that this is a mistake.
But in the first 30 minutes of the first half we have played very well but until this moment they had one chance and we had just one chance.
So there is a lot of information and we have to take care with how we analyse these details.
How has your approach changed this season?
I am less involved in the sense that the development of the group. You don’t have to give too many messages to the players than last season. They have more interpretation. They need less messages from me.
When I observes that the group is mature, an experienced group, I try to be less involved as it’s not necessary.
Lots is written about your footballing philosophy - how much do you read and how many common misconceptions?
I don’t read a lot about myself because not necessary.
Do you give value to xG stats?
No. I don’t think I have to give value to that. In the last season, this kind of stat showed similar feelings and we didn’t get the goal.
But I also think that when you have good stats, this is good because that means you are in a good way.
I know about this, but I also know it’s not infinity.
Lots of credit from opposition managers this year - have you developed any friendships with any of them?
I don’t have a friend regarding managers.
But I value a lot what the Blackburn manager said about Leeds. but also I give more value about what he said about my behaviour.
The Luton manager, I can see how every colleague reacts and when you lose one match two minutes before the match finishes and you see the reaction of Luton’s manager I can realise the integrity of the guy. The behaviour he has shown after the match with me.
But in general, what I saw regarding opponent managers was the positive feeling about the work we do.
Final question about transfers
One last question which I asked about transfers - the gist was that if they have needs, then Victor Orta will have options for him.
We’ll get that transcribed for you here shortly.
By Joe Mewis Leeds United editor Updated13:05, 25 NOV 2019