Marcelo Bielsa has admitted to sending staff to watch every opponent Leeds United have played this season.
The Leeds head coach called an impromptu press conference at the club’s Thorp Arch training ground this afternoon to address the fallout of the ‘spygate’ row involving Derby County.
Bielsa, who spoke for over an hour, admitted he was responsible for the incident and revealed he has spied on every team Leeds have faced this campaign.
“I am going to make it easier for the investigation of the Football League,” Bielsa said. “I will give them what they need. I assume that my behaviour is observed from the most negative point of view. I will talk about the analysis I have done.”
“I observed all the rivals we played against. We watched all the training sessions of the opponents before we played against them.”
“My goal is to make the investigation easier. I don’t think this will make it easier, but I do think I am making it worse for me. What I have done is not illegal. It’s not specified, it’s not described, it’s not restrained. We can discuss it, it’s not seen as a good thing, but it is not a violation of the law.”
“I know that everything that is not illegal is not necessarily right. There are many things that are legal but not right. This is another point.”
“If you observe something without the authorisation of the person involved, we call it spying. I can’t say it’s a right thing to do. But I am going to explain why I did it.”
“I’m going to explain how we work. It’s not that I’m trying to justify my behaviour. As Lampard says, he doesn’t think it’s the right way to behave. He said it was not his way of working.”
“I didn’t go to the Derby training session with the intention of getting an advantage. I did it because it was not illegal and not violating the law.”
“I have a clear conscience. But I have to adapt to the rules and the habits of the country where I work. I have to say that I didn’t want to get an advantage. I already have the information.”
“I will show you how we analyse a game. I am doing this so you can see that the information I get from the training sessions is not necessary. We have analyzed the 31 games Derby have played this season.”
“We have watched every game they have played. We have analyzed the starting 11 of every game. We have analyzed the system they used. We have analyzed the players they used.”
“We have analyzed the set-pieces. We have analyzed the individual players. We have analyzed the way they press. We have analyzed the way they build up from the back.”
“I feel ashamed to have to tell you this. I feel like I am exposing myself. But I want to show you that we don’t need to go to the training sessions to get this information.”
Bielsa then went on to show a detailed analysis of Derby County and explained how his staff works.
“This is the analysis of the games of Derby,” he said, pointing to a screen. “This is the analysis of the players. This is the analysis of the set-pieces. This is the analysis of the way they press.”
“We have 20 people working with me. We have a lot of information. We don’t need to go to the training sessions.”
“But I do it because I want to be sure. I want to be sure that I have all the information. I want to be sure that I am doing my job properly.”
“I am not saying that what I did was right. I am saying that I didn’t do it to get an advantage. I did it because it’s the way I work.”
Bielsa concluded: “I hope this helps the investigation. I hope this helps you understand why I did it. I am ready to accept any sanction that the Football League decides.”
Marcelo Bielsa’s extraordinary Spygate presentation
This video provides the actual footage of the presentation mentioned in the article, allowing you to see the visual data and analysis Bielsa shared with the press.
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