Lille owner backs coach Bielsa

Marcelo Bielsa has received the backing of Lille's owner to turn around their awful start to the Ligue 1 season.

Lille won their first league game under Bielsa before picking up just two points from the next six matches, with pressure building on the former Argentina coach after Friday's 4-0 defeat at home to Monaco.

The 2010-11 champions are now 18th in the table, but owner Gerard Lopez is sticking by Bielsa, believing he can inspire change.

"I am well aware of our position, but I am also aware that it is only after matchday seven," Lopez told Telefoot. "It is up to Marcelo Bielsa to find the way.

"I do not ask myself [about Bielsa's future] - I think about the next game. We cannot manage a club, a team, having these kind of thoughts."

D7 - @losclive vs. @AS_Monaco_EN - Final Whistle pic.twitter.com/amxhdduZ1f

— Ligue1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) September 22, 2017

Bielsa, who signed a two-year contract in May, takes Lille to 16th-placed Amiens for their next game on Saturday.