MY ACCOUNT
American coach Jesse Marsch looks set to take over from Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds.
The popular Argentine tactician was sacked on Sunday after a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham left the Whites hurtling towards danger.
And it appears that former FC Salzburg and RB Leipzig boss Marsch, 48, will be tasked with guiding them to Premier League safety.
So what can Leeds fans expect from their new man? LiveScore take an in-depth look at Marsch ahead of Saturday’s clash against Leicester.
Big shoes to fill
Even when things appeared to be at their worst during the final weeks of Bielsa’s tenure, you would still struggle to find a Leeds fan with a bad word to say about the Argentine.
The 66-year-old will always have legendary status in the Yorkshire city for guiding them back to the Premier League after a 16-year exile — and for the unique way in which he did so.
With a street and even a beer named after him in Leeds, Bielsa won over fans due to his behaviour off the field just as much as his entertaining style of play on it.
Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani’s parting words read: “This has been the toughest decision I have had to make during my tenure at Leeds, taking into account all the success Marcelo has had at the club.
“With Marcelo as our head coach, we had three incredible campaigns and the good times returned to Elland Road. He changed the culture of the club and brought a winning mentality to us all.”
The new man — hotly tipped to be Marsch — will have no doubts about the big shoes he will be tasked with filling.
Fast-paced football
On paper, Marsch — known for his high-pressing and possession-based brand of football — seems a good fit.
He wants his players to adopt a similar attacking style but there is a more pragmatic foundation to his tactics compared to Bielsa’s gung-ho methods.
After three years in charge of MLS side New York Red Bulls, Marsch grew his reputation in Europe during a successful spell at Salzburg.
Taking over there in 2019 following a stint as Ralf Rangnick’s assistant at Leipzig, Marsch led the Red Bulls to two straight league and cup triumphs in Austria.
And he has suggested the now Manchester United boss was one of the biggest influences in his development as a coach.
On his time working with Rangnick, Marsch told Coaches’ Voice: “We talked a lot about counter-pressing, playing in transition.
“Getting to know him really introduced a lot of details and deeper thinking into the way I think about football.”
Marsch’s big move back to Leipzig to succeed Julian Nagelsmann ended in failure after just four months, so he will head into his next role determined to prove his worth.
Stopping the slide
The influence of Rangnick is certainly clear in the way Marsch has set up his teams at other clubs.
The 4-2-2-2 formation Rangnick tried and then shortly ditched at Old Trafford has been Marsch’s preferred set-up throughout his career.
No longer will Leeds deploy a man-marking system as they did under Bielsa but rather they will look to dominate areas of the field with a counter-pressing approach.
And while United’s evolution under Rangnick has been slow, he has certainly made them a harder team to beat.
Before the German tactician took over, United were conceding goals at a rate of 1.71 per 90 minutes compared to just 0.77 in the 15 Premier League games since.
A similar impact from Marsch at Leeds, who are conceding at an astonishing rate of 2.31 per game this season, would be just what the doctor ordered.
Immediate impact needed
Leeds chiefs hope Marsch’s alignment to his predecessor’s tactics will allow the players to quickly adapt to their new man.
After all, they will need him to make an instant impact with just 12 games to secure Leeds’ Premier League status for another season.
With just five wins this term and a league-high 60 goals conceded leaving the Whites just two points above the drop, he is coming into a desperate situation at Elland Road.
It may have been tempting to turn to Sam Allardyce — an early shout for the role — or another survival specialist but director Victor Orta clearly believes Marsch is the ideal candidate.
With no experience in the Premier League or a relegation battle, it is undoubtedly a gamble.
First up for the new boss will be Leicester on Saturday before Leeds face relegation rivals in Norwich, Watford and Brentford between now and the end of the campaign.
Their future can be exciting under their new man if given time to implement his philosophy.
But time is exactly what Leeds do not have and stopping them from conceding goals as easily as they have been will be the first port of call.
