Image source, Getty Images

Asked about the fanbase at Elland Road, Bielsa says:

"I know everything that a foreign person could have possibly absorbed about Leeds United and what Leeds United means to the supporters.

"I was given a list of instructions - I think I've lost it. It mentioned that Leeds United had the biggest attendances in the Championship last season, but I know Villa had slightly bigger crowds because their play-off games tipped them above.

"But I know, for myself of course, that Leeds take a huge amount of support away with them, and that the team means an awful lot to this city."

Ian Woodcock
BBC Sport at Elland Road

Image source, Getty Images

Marcelo Bielsa is clearly a man who leaves no stone unturned in his preparation for taking a job, even if he is potentially a little forgetful.

He jokes that he had a sheet of things that he was supposed to say about the club but that he has lost it.

He says he knows as much about Leeds United as it is possible for someone not from the city to know.

So who will Leeds face during Bielsa's first few games in charge? Well, it's not the easiest-looking of starts to their Championship campaign...

• Stoke (h), 5 August
• Derby (a), 11 August
• Rotherham (h), 18 August
• Swansea (a), 22 August
• Norwich (a) 25 August

And Tony Pulis' Middlesbrough are heading to Elland Road at the start of September, too.

Now we look to the start of the season and the visit of Stoke, starting life in the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League. That match is, of course, followed by a trip to Derby - who reached the play-off last season.

"There are no easy games in football, you never think about easy games

"We are naturally optimistic... most of the time.

"For me, having my first game here at home, I have the belief and excitement that it will be a sell-out crowd and make it almost like a Premier League game.

"That is something to be excited about rather than seen as a problem. It is an incentive."

Bielsa has been asked about his relative disappointments in charge of clubs in France, and replies...

"Marseille was an unforgettable memory for me. A Saturday in the Stade Velodrome with the supporters is one of the most unforgettable experiences.

"On a football note, it was one of the saddest moments of my career.

"And that experience in Lille, my self-esteem as a manager really suffered, more than any time in my career.

"Not, in the main, because of the results on the field, but because I only played 20% of the games for the period for which I was under contract.

More on that question about communication and how it might apply at Leeds where there will be a language barrier.

"I'm very conscious of the use of the spoken and written word in getting the message across.

"Appealing to players' emotions and getting them to play is what it's all about as a manager.

"The biggest factor in getting players to play is emotion and if you speak sincerely, it is words that can activate those emotions.

"I'm confident the message will be conveyed and received."

Ian Woodcock
BBC Sport at Elland Road

An interesting moment as a journalist from Bilbao, where Bielsa coached Athletic Bilbao, says he knows of no coach who expresses himself in such detailed Spanish and asks if he is worried that some of this detail will be lost in translation.

Bielsa apologises that there's no simple way to answer the question and that the answer may only be of interest to him and the journalist who posed the question.

He says that the biggest thing that gets players motivated is emotion and that he is confident he will be able to convey what he wants to his team.

Colleagues advised us before this press conference began that Bielsa was not likely to keep this brief.

Some 40 minutes in, it feels as though he is just getting started! Settle in for a long one folks and pour another cuppa.

Ian Woodcock
BBC Sport at Elland Road

Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani is looking in a relaxed and happy mood as he talks to some of the club's staff while Marcelo Bielsa takes more questions.

It's just over a year since he took sole charge at Elland Road and Bielsa is the third appoinment he has made in that time.

He will be confident that after the failures of Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom, Bielsa can take the club where the Italian wants it to be.

Now asked once again about how Pep Guardiola has referenced him as the best coach in the world and his influence on the Spaniard and Argentine Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs.

"I don't want to be accused of false modesty. False modesty is when you say something to draw another conclusion from the situation, I don't like false modesty.

"Guardiola is the best manager in the world and his ideas have been created by him, himself. In any of his teams, I've never seen traits of my teams, just his ideas in how his teams play football.

"As for Mauricio Pochettino, he has built his own career and he has built up his own style and is unique to him.

"You could consider them as references for other people and it is more believable that they are reference to others rather than me.

"I know myself and I have studied their styles in depth, and I'm not saying this to be humble or modest."

If you saw our 13:57 BST entry and are wondering what was in the rather mysterious-looking cup on Bielsa's desk, Match of the Day pundit Pablo Zabaleta explains all about Mate tea here...

The herbal drink is also enjoyed by Luis Suarez and - evidently - by Didier Drogba.

Joking about his relatively long answers, Bielsa says:

"These long replies... We go around in our answers to avoid naming names!"

The Argentine continues:

"We think the club generally have got 15 players which we might consider to be an excessive amount... 15 more than we need.

"And we still need four or five different positions on the field where we need to strengthen.

"Moving forward, the squad to my mind shouldn't have too many players in it who aren't getting game time.

"So there might be some departures.

"Anybody leaving, it would be more to do with the fact that I like to have a lean squad so everyone is getting regular minutes.

"Obviously I can't ignore the fact that there are 46 games in this competition, which up to 18-20 weeks in that season where you might be playing two games a week if we have made progress in the cups too.

"But we have one or two youngsters coming through who will be useful also.

"We might need to add one or two experienced faces to this squad."

Pushed on whether players will leave the club, Bielsa responds...

"What I will say is that we are trying to keep players on our staff who we are going to be using and who will be getting plenty of playing time.

"I've seen all the games that Leeds played last season and the two games in Asia so I have got opinions in my head and have made my mind up about all the players.

"But I have not had that day-to-day time with them, that the club have enjoyed.

"If the club have got players in mind who they wouldn't want to be keeping, they wouldn't be players who I'd like to keep.

"The players I want to keep are the players I can guarantee playing time to."

Ian Woodcock
BBC Sport at Elland Road

Bielsa has a propensity for working with a small group and it's telling that, while not wanting to speak negatively about any player, he believes the team has 15 too many players.

He wants to strengthen in "four or five" positions and have a "lean squad".

He then makes a joke about how his answers are long and "go round the houses" so he can avoid naming names.

Bielsa is famous for his obsessive use of videos to prepare for matches and Man City's Benjamin Mendy - who played under the Argentine at Marseille - says it was enough to send him to sleep before awakening somewhat as a player.

As for falling asleep himself, I don't think Bielsa has that problem.

Image source, get

When he arrived at Athletic Bilbao it is said he watched all of their matches from the previous season, making reams of notes on every single game.

And after joining Marseille there were even reports that he watched all of their games from the previous season up to 13 times.

Ian Woodcock
BBC Sport at Elland Road

Bielsa has looked as studious and focussed as had been expected.

He rarely looks up as he addresses the questions being put to him by the room and gives his lengthy answers in short bursts to give the interpreter the best chance to relay what he's saying better.

On the subject of what he knows about the playing staff he says he saw all 51 games they played last season plus the two friendlies in Myanmar.

Asked more about the sort of players he wants and the team he is looking to build.

“A team is made up of a myriad of footballers with different qualities to make up a team.

“Maybe I could give a short summary of ideal traits or a footballer - mental strength, sufficient ability on the ball and skill, being bright enough and intelligent enough to interpret different style of play, strong physically and brave and competitive in spirit.”

Following a successful start to his managerial career with a range of South American clubs, Bielsa spent six years in charge of the Argentina national team - including their 2002 World Cup campaign, when his side were beaten by a certain David Beckham penalty...

Then came an eye-catching four years as the Chile boss, before Marcelo Bielsa went on to coach a series of sides across Europe - with mixed results.

The Argentine has spent time in charge of Athletic Bilbao and Marseille, as well as Lazio (just the two days in Rome) and Lille.

However, he has been out of work since December after being sacked by Lille after a run of three wins in 13 games.

And, before that, was his stint at Lazio... if you could call it that.

The focus quickly shifts from Leeds United and to Argentina at the World Cup.

Bielsa is, of course, a former Argentina manager who led the country to a World Cup. The current crop are struggling in Russia having lost 3-0 to Croatia after drawing 1-1 with Iceland first up.

They play Nigeria is a must-win match tomorrow.

"I think we will see best of Argentina from tomorrow.

"I firmly believe in the quality of the players and the two performances they have had will be used as grounding to respond and reply with the style of play that the national team really want to see."

Here's a bit more background on Bielsa's career...