First impression of Jesse Marsch's Leeds United: More teamwork, fewer individual battles - Yorkshire Post 5/3/22
The first impressions of Jesse Marsch football was that Leeds United have replaced a stubborn manager with a narrow-minded one.
By Stuart Rayner
The football taught in the coaching factory the American
came through has many merits but Red Bull certainly does not give you wings.
Jack Harrison and Raphinha were both a long way infield for
most of the goalless first half against Leicester City.
The game has a whole was much more about tag team play than
the mano a mano which was Marcelo Bielsa' s love. It made defending and
pressing easier, but when Raphinha hass the ball at his feet, the idea of a
straight fight is quite tempting.
There were more partnerships across the pitch as Marsch
picked a 4-2-2-2 formation as his first as Leeds coach.
It meant Robin Koch had someone - Mateusz Klich - alongside
him which was not usually the case when he held the midfield under the
Argentinian.
Likewise, Dan James played centre-forward again but this
time as one of two alongside Rodrigo, who could drop back and help the midfield
just as Klich and Koch could push forward at times. The strikers also had
Harrison and Raphinha close at hand.
It needed the width to come from the full-backs, Junior Firpo
and Stuart Dallas - surprisingly on the right of defence with Luke Ayling at
centre-back in a very Bielsaesque defensive set-up, but in the first 45 minutes
they were reluctant to bomb forward too often against a Leicester team who,
like Leeds, are dangerous on the counter-attack. Harvey Barnes in particular
gave Dallas something to think about.
Then, in the 41st minute, left-back Firpo popped up on the
penalty spot in pen play to get on the end of a deflected cross from Rodrigo,
who was providing the width in his absence. His shot looked goalbound until it
hit Caglar Soyuncu.
Leeds best half of the chance seemed to point the way ahead,
and Rodrigo's sliced volley in stoppage time suggested they were getting to
grips with what they were being asked.
It was not that they had been cagey until then, and for all
that Leeds felt more solid the game as open and entertaining as those Bielsa
oversaw. Part of that was down to the quality of the opposition.
Things are different now, but not that different.
