Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has admitted that the club also spied on Sheffield United.
In fact, in an unscheduled press conference, Bielsa revealed that he’s sent a member of staff to watch every one of Leeds’ opponents this season.
This comes after Derby County made a complaint to the EFL. A Whites employee was seen acting suspiciously outside Derby’s training ground ahead of the Championship match between the two sides.
Bielsa then admitted he sent the staff member to watch the Rams. The EFL opened up a formal investigation as a result.
Yet in a surprising conference – which included a PowerPoint presentation of analysis and preparation – the Argentine revealed much more.
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“I observed all the rivals we played against and watched the training sessions of all opponents,” Bielsa told the BBC.
“All the information I need to clarify, I gather it without watching the training session of the opponent, so why did I send someone to watch them? Just because I thought I wasn’t violating the norm. I gathered information that I can obtain in another way.”
What does Wilder think?
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Blades manager Chris Wilder was asked what he thought about Bielsa’s actions following United’s 1-0 win over QPR.
This was admittedly before the admission that all Championship clubs have been watched. However, Wilder has since been asked again and not changed his opinion.
“It’s been over exaggerated,” the 51-year-old told the Sheffield Star.
“It’s not something that we would do but I think the manager has been clever because the chant about Leeds United (‘We all hate Leeds’) will get a little bit louder now and they will love that siege mentality.
“You saw in their performance (against Derby), that it was them against the world, and I thought they were outstanding with it.”
