Marcelo Bielsa 'very worried' about form but will not quit club mid-season - BBC 25/2/22

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The Football News Show: How can Leeds United avoid a relegation battle?

Marcelo Bielsa says he is "very worried" about Leeds United's poor form, but insists he will not walk out on the club mid-season.

The Whites are three points above the drop zone after four defeats from five Premier League games.

They have also conceded the most goals in the league, but Bielsa says a more defensive approach is "not an option."

"The style, the model has already shown that it can work in the Premier League," said the 66-year-old.

"The effort and the willingness of the team can't be judged or doubted because they have been the most intense team in their performance in the Premier League across two years."

Asked whether he would walk away from the club before the end of the season, he added: "The more adverse the situation is, the more I fortify myself to face it."

In a lengthy speech at a news conference on Friday, Bielsa said criticism of his defensive tactics is nothing new and that he had already previously overcome such issues during his time at Elland Road.

"In these four years, I have received criticisms or demands that are exactly the same," he said.

"In this case they are a lot more justified as the consequences of what's being done badly are a lot bigger. But they are the same problems that at some point we have already suffered and we were able to overcome.

"In moments like this when the confidence is lost in the leader, which is natural and logical, how can I defend myself with a team that has conceded the most goals in the Premier League?

"I daily try to resolve it. As I reiterate, when you are the conductor in a bad situation, nobody trusts in what you say. What I am also sure of is that, if I stop doing what I believe in, which is what you are asking me, the situation instead of improving is going to be even worse."

Bielsa has been in charge of Leeds since 2018 and after leading them to promotion in 2020 secured a ninth-place finish in the Premier League last season, their first top-flight campaign since 2004.

The Argentine's contract expires at the end of the season and has yet to indicate whether he will sign a new deal.

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