Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa during the match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester December 14, 2021. — Reuters pic
LONDON, Dec 17 — Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has vowed not to quit the troubled Premier League club but admits he may not be safe from the sack during his side’s dismal run.
Bielsa’s side are five points above the Premier League’s relegation zone after an embarrassing 7-0 hammering at Manchester City on Tuesday.
It was the joint-heaviest league defeat in Leeds’ history and increased talk that Bielsa might walk away from Elland Road before he could be sacked.
Leeds have won only three league games this season — a stark contrast to their impressive ninth-place finish in their first campaign back in the top-flight in 2020/21.
Asked on Thursday if he feared being dismissed, Bielsa said: “Do you think there’s a coach that can’t be sacked, who is unsackable? Do you think I’m so vain that I think I can’t be sacked?
“Do you think that after suffering a 7-0 defeat I can discard the instability? Of course the job of a coach is not stable. I don’t have anything that makes me immune to that characteristic.”
The 66-year-old, who masterminded Leeds’ promotion to the Premier League after a 16-year absence, has no intention of leaving in the midst of the club’s battle to avoid relegation.
“Of course I’m going to continue fighting until the end of the season. I always think that in adversity you have to fight,” he said.
“I am going to fight until the end of the season without any doubts. I hope nothing happens that does not allow me to act on what I just said.”
Bielsa has faced criticism from pundits but he remains hugely popular with most fans.
Ahead of Saturday’s visit from in-form Arsenal, Bielsa conceded this was his most difficult period at Leeds.
“It’s the worst of all the moments I’ve had at Leeds,” he said. “Of course, to lose 7-0 is not just another defeat.” — AFP