Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has opened up on Tottenham stars Harry Kane and Gareth Bale ahead of the Premier League meeting between the two teams on Saturday.
Among the questions he was asked in the press conference, as reported by Leeds Live, Bielsa addressed how Kane has influenced striker Patrick Bamford, while he also praised Bale’s quality and recent form.
He said that Bamford is a 'very, very dedicated professional' who analyses the best scorers in each of the European’s top leagues in detail. Kane has been one of the most prolific strikers in the Premier League for some time now, and Bielsa has spoken about whether Bamford can learn from him.
“Bamford has qualities like the best strikers in the PL, but the qualities in football are just the starting point," Bielsa told Leeds Live.
“After what is put in place, the capacity to put your qualities in play and a collective play that allows the quality of this player to shine. All of this is linked to the decision and their efficiency. It's to have a disposition at the right moment in the right percentage of the qualities to find it.”
Bielsa will have prepared thoroughly for Kane, especially as the Englishman is currently leading the table in goals and assists this campaign, statistics that show he has evolved into one of the very best. The Argentine has tried to pinpoint why that is.
“Harry Kane has a stability in his performances throughout the whole campaign," Bielsa continued. “To consider the performance he had against us such a long time ago, to look or say he has evolved or not since that time against us, it's not an exercise that is convenient because he has a regularity in his game we don't need to look back so far.”
However, Kane isn’t Spurs’ only attacking threat, especially as Bale looks to be back in the mood after scoring a hat-trick against Championship-bound Sheffield United last Sunday. The Welshman hasn’t had as many opportunities to start in the frontline as he perhaps would’ve liked since his return, but he will look to close the season out in style, and Bielsa has admitted he is wary of his presence.
Bielsa added: “The last game is a good place to judge how his form is. The quality he has is known by everyone. Of course, his last game is a point of focus. Given how difficult it is to score three goals, also taking into account the goals he scored showed the virtues he has."
