Marcelo Bielsa: 'I won't change attacking principles'

Marseille manager Marcelo Bielsa has defended his attacking tactics after his side lost 3-2 to Caen on Friday night.

The Argentine is taking the blame for the home defeat but refuses to change his attacking philosophy, after he played four forward-thinking midfielders behind striker Michy Batshuayi.

"There is undoubtedly a balance that is needed that I am not able to get across to my team but these ideas will not be abandoned because I think they are good. My way of playing is about attacking but that does not necessarily mean defending badly," the 59-year-old told reporters.

"We were not secure defensively in either half. We were vulnerable to their attacks in both halves. The very attacking system that I put in place created an imbalance that made it harder for us to win the ball back. Caen counter-attacked us a lot.

"The number of players we had in the opposition half during attacks did not help us improve our recovery of the ball and weakened us defensively. I take responsibility for the fact that the team was not balanced. I can't make the players responsible for the situation that I am describing."

The result leaves Marseille four points behind league leaders Lyon and two points adrift of Paris Saint-Germain in second.

Bielsa's side have also played a game more than both Lyon and PSG.