Marcelo Bielsa has his say on ‘rivalry’ with Frank Lampard over ‘Spygate’ controversy ahead of Chelsea vs Leeds clash

Marcelo Bielsa has played down suggestions of any bad blood between him and Frank Lampard.

Leeds were fined £200,000 by the Football Association after manager Bielsa sent a member of his coaching staff to spy on a Derby training session while Lampard was in charge of the Rams during the 2018/19 season.

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The incident was dubbed 'Spygate' and Derby went on to beat Leeds in the Championship play-off semi-finals before missing out on a place in the Premier League to Aston Villa.

Asked to describe his relationship with Lampard, who left Derby for Chelsea last year, ahead of his side’s clash with the in-form Blues on Saturday, Bielsa replied: "It’s not bad.

"The relationship I have with him is similar to the ones I have with the rest of my colleagues."

Bielsa insists he has learned his lesson over 'Spygate' and would not be drawn when asked if Lampard had gained the wrong impression of him.

He said: “This is a moment that has already gone past. It was already resolved by the authorities, who judge how these actions need to be punished."

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He said: "This is a moment that has already gone past. It was already resolved by the authorities, who judge how these actions need to be punished."

Chelsea have been on an eight-match unbeaten run in the Premier League since losing to Liverpool in September.

Bielsa, whose Leeds side secured an impressive 1-0 win at Everton last time out, added: “During last season he [Lampard] developed a lot of players that were already in the institution.

"This season he improved the composition of his team, choosing players for the positions he deemed he needed.

"This is shown by the way the team is playing well and the way individuals in the team are playing. There's many different types of component in his team.

"There's young players who have developed, there were signings with experience and signings with a big future."