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Marcelo Bielsa vows to keep Leeds team a secret following "backlash"

Marcelo Bielsa vows to keep Leeds team a secret following
© Reuters
Bielsa revealed his starting XI to face West Ham two days before the game last week.

Marcelo Bielsa said he will not be naming his Leeds line-up ahead of fixtures in future to avoid any "backlash" after he did so prior to his side's clash with West Ham last week.

Two days before the fixture, Bielsa revealed his starting XI to face the Hammers after seeing two defenders in Robin Koch and Diego Llorente sidelined.

The unorthodox move led to opposite number David Moyes claiming the Leeds boss could be "bluffing" but on Monday Bielsa defended his actions, saying it did not give his opponents – who won the game 2-1 – an advantage.

"Nothing about it was incorrect," Bielsa said.

"It would be incorrect if we thought that knowing the XI of the opponent gives you an important advantage. For me it doesn't give you an important advantage.

"So from now on and to avoid any backlash, I will not continue to give answers on the players who can or who cannot play on the weekend.

"I imagine that the manager of West Ham says that I anticipate the team due to vanity and for me to name the team ahead of time is something I shouldn't do.

"Anyhow, the formation, the XI, I gave last week without knowingly giving it because they (the press) asked me over a certain position in particular and I spontaneously gave the XI with the player playing in that position."

Other than replying to a direct question by saying Patrick Bamford was not injured, Bielsa did not offer any team news ahead of his side's match against Newcastle at Elland Road on Wednesday, but insisted doing so does not give an advantage to an opponent.

"I wouldn't know what to tell you, I don't know how other people interpret it or how the journalists interpret it, but what I can assure you with that it doesn't constitute a relevant advantage to know the XI of the team that you're facing prior to the game," Bielsa added.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1494136191731
2Leicester CityLeicester149052617927
3Manchester UnitedMan Utd138232821726
4Everton148242519626
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs1474325141125
6Southampton147342519624
7Manchester CityMan City136521912723
8Chelsea1364326141222
9Aston Villa127142213922
10West Ham UnitedWest Ham136342116521
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves136251317-420
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle135351722-518
13Crystal Palace145361925-618
14Leeds UnitedLeeds145272430-617
15Arsenal144281218-614
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton142661622-612
17Fulham142481323-1010
18Burnley12246618-1210
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom141491027-177
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd140212825-172

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