Leeds United have had turbulent times in the recent past and after returning, finally, to the EPL are now desperate to avoid relegation at the season’s end. Marcelo Bielsa, the man who got them back to the top flight, has been let go but what lies ahead for the team?
THE MAN WHO ENGINEERED THE RETURN FROM THE WILDERNESS
Leeds United has a great history, but any club that’s been around for over a century is also going to have its weaker patches. For Leeds, this was very recent when financial problems led to them slumping to the third tier of English football. They did eventually manage to claw their way back into the top flight, but it took 16 years, far longer than fans had hoped and many had expected.
It was Argentine coach Marco Bielsa who led the team back to the English Premier League after more than a decade and a half of absence, though this was not enough to save him from the chop in 2022 following a poor start to the season that had many fearing relegation.
In 2018 Bielsa replaced Paul Heckingbottom as head coach of Leeds United, then in the Championship, and just barely missed out on the guaranteed promotion spots at the end of the season. A very strong season culminated in 2020 seeing Leeds return to the EPL, as Bielsa’s side went from strength to strength and had looked good all season long. On their return season, they finished 9th in the Premier League and racked up 59 points, the most by any newly promoted team. But the next season was a very different story…
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POOR START COSTS BIELSA
The start to the 2021-22 season ended up costing Bielsa his job at Leeds, although he was also hamstrung by misfortune early on. Patrick Bamford was Leeds’ top scorer the previous season but was out for weeks due to injury on multiple occasions.
This wasn’t the only injury to bedevil the side, with Kalvin Phillips out for the same reason, and a knee injury causing Luke Ayling to miss months on end. All this helped to contribute to a very wobbly performance by Leeds in 2021-22, and by the time Bielsa was, with some sadness, given the heave-ho the side was 16th with just eight games left to play.
JESSE MARSCH – THE NEW MAN
Shortly after Bielsa’s departure Jesse Marsch took the reins as the Leeds boss, facing a significant challenge to keep the side in the EPL. After so long out of it, fans would be less than delighted to only have a couple of seasons before the demotion. Marsch is a former international for the USA, and his previous coaching jobs include leading Montreal Impact of the MLS (major league soccer) and being the head coach of the New York Red Bulls (also in the MLS). From 2019 to 21 he worked in the Austrian Bundesliga as boss of Red Bull Salzburg, before moving to the (German) Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. Although his time as Leipzig was brief, the Bundesliga is a top-class European league so Marsch does bring some experience at the sharp end.
He also had a stint as deputy to Ralf Rangnick at Leipzig, with his ex-boss going on to become interim coach of Manchester United. League and cup doubles were achieved by Marsch when he led Salzburg, not to mention a pair of back-to-back appearances in the Champions League. Marsch’s time as leader of Leipzig was less happy, however, and he ended up with the sack after five months. So there is some hope for success, but certainly no guarantee.
LEEDS PROSPECTS & MARSCH’S STYLE
In the latter stages of Bielsa’s time, Leeds became frail defensively, and a defence that leaks like a sieve is a serious problem that Marsch is going to have to address in short order. Accordingly, Leeds has the worst goal difference outside of the relegation zone (-30).
At the time of writing, Leeds stands 16th in the table, five points above the relegation zone. Bizarrely, Leeds were one of only three sides (table-toppers Manchester City and Liverpool being the others) without a single loss in the last five matches before that City loss yesterday, which is at least some cause for optimism. Watford and Norwich City are on 22 and 21 points respectively and are pretty much-treading water until they drop, leaving Leeds (34), Burnley (34), and Everton (29 but with two games in hand) fighting to avoid the final relegation spot.
Marsch’s approach to the game is very much one of speed, with quick thinking and faster action than the opposition. Obviously, this also necessitates the degree of fitness and team cohesion sufficient to pull it off. When it comes to formations, he’s not wedded to any particular setup so a flexible approach here is probable. Freedom to run and a spontaneous, swift style are going to be the order of the day under Marsch.
In terms of a driven, rapid style of play, things will evolve rather than change drastically, but under Marsch, the team needs to tighten up its game, especially in defence.
We’ve seen the team playing some beautiful football under Jesse Marsch, any points against Chelsea and Arsenal will come as a bonus, especially against a shaking Elland Road when Thomas Tuchel’s side visits Yorkshire. Brighton and Brentford are a tricky bit of fixtures but both of those try to overload on press and if Leeds tactically comes out better (like they did against Man City yesterday, the scoreline was nowhere near to the performance Leeds put in) they should come out with three points comfortably.
For Leeds, it’s time to stay together and relish this challenge – from the look of it, the final relegation place should be between Leeds, Everton, and Burnley. The latter have found some scrumptious form since the sacking of Sean Dyche while Everton have continued to suffer and struggle under Frank Lampard. The fixture schedule for both, Leeds and the Blues from Merseyside, are a bit sketchy with both yet to play Arsenal and Chelsea. Everton are six points adrift from Leeds at this point with two games in hand. We can hope the Frank Lampard’s Everton continues their downfall and the players at Elland Road show fight and grit under Jesse that they’ve done time and time again under Bielsa.
