Defiant Bielsa adamant he won't quit Lille post

Marcelo Bielsa's tenure at Lille hasn't gone to plan.

With a scant five points through six matches, that may be an understatement considering the optimism that surrounded his appointment with the club. And even with some early-season headaches and a slew of suspect summer signings, Bielsa is adamant he won't step down.

"I won't leave here even if I have to battle to stay up all season. I say that to commit myself to putting up with everything I have to put up with," Bielsa told a news conference, courtesy of ESPN FC.

After quitting the Marseille gig after one match in 2015 and the Lazio job a year later after just two days, the impassioned Argentine was asked if he was set to repeat history with Les Dogues.

"You ask me how, after resigning at OM (Marseille), I can say I'm not going to give up," he said.

"I know the suffering we feel when we lose. I fought for the Argentine national team during the side's worst period. I'm a specialist at taking on difficult situations," he added.

Following his summer appointment, Bielsa took an aggressive approach to a squad overhaul, making eight significant first-team signings, including Thiago Maia, Nicolas Pepe, Kevin Malcuit, and Luiz Araujo. He also sold the club's leading scorer, Nicolas de Preville, and once-capped France international Sebastien Corchia, and the fans have started to turn on him.

Still, Bielsa concedes there's no chance he'll quit, adding that if his spell with the club ends before the end of his two-year deal, it won't be his call.

"I won't resign - not for any reason. The only possibility that I stop working here is that those in authority decide to take my job away from me. And that's not only up to me."