Marcelo Bielsa has spoken at length with the media, ahead of Friday night’s Premier League clash with Fulham.

The Leeds United head coach discussed a number of topics, with five key points shown below.

On Fulham…

“The idea of the manager is reflected in Fulham’s play. In the first round it was difficult for them to impose their style and in the second round of fixtures they started to do this a lot better. I remember the style when we faced them in the Championship and it’s the same style but they’ve managed to impose it in a lot of games in the Premier League. Apart from that, they’re a team that plays on an even keel in the majority of their games. In the games against the teams in the top six, they played to impose themselves and not just to avoid being beaten.”

On Scott Parker…

“I think he’s a manager who has earned the recognition by all of those in the Premier League. He’s gone through difficult moments in the Championship and in the Premier League. All of them he’s managed to overcome them by imposing and the system he uses is a very creative one.”

On Patrick Bamford…

“We think that yes he will play on Friday. He has a knock on his hip that is painful but we don’t think it will make him miss the game. Bamford contributes goals, he makes runs and marks, runs in behind, he has presence in the box, he has combativeness to recover the ball and he has continuity in his participation throughout the game."

On Rodrigo…

"I had to bring him back earlier because my estimate was that he shouldn’t have played more than 50 minutes. He becomes a starter when he is in a good state of form, when he has been without playing for over a month his return to the team is not instantaneous, but me in particular and Leeds as his club will have seen what Rodrigo is capable of. For me he is a great striker that when he finds his best form he is a very dangerous forward and useful.”

On Robin Koch…

“It’s not that he adapted to this position [defensive midfield] he also plays this position for his national team with Germany. The Under-23s is not the level of the Premier League, there are steps he has to take when he hasn’t competed for a while, but he’s an athlete who takes less time for him to reach his optimal state. Either way we have to be careful so his evolution is natural.”