Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has sensationally revealed that he has sent a staff member to watch all of their opponents’ training sessions this season – but has defended his methods and insisted they are not illegal.
Bielsa called an impromptu press conference on Wednesday in response to investigations launched by the Football Association and the English Football League into his practices after the ‘spygate’ incident, where he employed a scout to watch Derby train ahead of their Championship clash last Friday.
There had been fears among Leeds fans that the Argentine would quit the club after the press conference was called, with reports then circulating he was set to call time on his spell in Yorkshire.
However, Bielsa used the conference to address the spying row further, going into detail about the methods he has used throughout this season with an hour-long PowerPoint presentation.
He said: “I’m going to make it easier for the EFL investigation. I’m going to make it easier for them and I assume my behaviour is observed from the most extreme position.
“I observed all the rivals we played against. We watched all the training sessions before we played them.
“My goal is to make this easier for the investigation. By doing this I assume the possible sanctions by the authorities.
“I don’t want to compare my situation with previous similar incidents.
“I don’t want to make it easier for me by attacking others. Regarding what I’ve done – it is not illegal. It’s not specified, described or restrained.
“Regarding what I’ve done, it’s 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’s not a violation of the law.
“The wrong things you do are not done with bad intention or an intention to cheat. If you observe something without authorisation we call it spying.
“I’m going to try and explain I did not have bad intentions.
“I did not try to get an unfair sporting advantage. But I did it because it was not illegal or violating specific laws.
“As Lampard (Derby boss Frank Lampard) says, he doesn’t believe I have bad intentions.
“He believes I violated the fair play spirit so I have to adapt to the rules and habits of English football.”
Bielsa has been heavily criticised by some rival managers and television pundits, while retaining the full support of others.
The 63-year-old said he was expecting to be punished by the FA and EFL, but felt compelled to give greater insight into his coaching methods in an effort to convince them he was not cheating.
He said all the information he gained from having rival clubs watched in training had already been gathered by his backroom staff’s extensive research.
Bielsa also said a lot of it was not necessary when preparing his team.
“So why do we do that? Because we feel guilty if we don’t work enough,” he added. “Because it allows us not to have too much anxiety and we think by gathering information we feel we get closer to a win.
“In my case, it’s because I’m stupid enough to allow myself this kind of behaviour.
“In a few words I will tell you something that is not easy to explain – how we analyse each opponent without having to watch their training session.”
Bielsa went on to reveal the extraordinary level of research which went into his match-day preparation.
Before Friday’s game Bielsa and his staff had watched all of Derby’s 51 games the previous season, with each match taking four hours to analyse.
All opponents’ games are watched on video and broken down into five-minute spells to show which side is dominating, while Bielsa has data on every Championship player, including how many minutes each has played in certain positions.
Bielsa admitted he was embarrassed by the depth of his analysis, adding: “I know that people laugh at you when you create this much data.
“When you have strong data, it allows you to make a caricature of the one who is saying that.”
Leeds’ next opponents Stoke appointed Nathan Jones as their new manager last week and Bielsa revealed his staff had watched all 26 of his former club Luton’s games this season.
“I give this explanation to make you understand why I think I am not cheating, by doing something that is not illegal,” he added.
“I know I am not trying to get an advantage. I already have the information. I repeat: Why do I do it? Because I think I’m stupid. Thank you for your patience.”