Dan James eyes gains from Leeds United action and assesses position under Jesse Marsch - YEP 12/7/22
LEEDS United were already two and a half weeks into their new season when Dan James joined the club last summer.
By Lee Sobot
One year on, the Whites have landed six new recruits a full
month before their first game.
Speaking from experience, that, says James, can only be a
positive for a side determined to kick on after last season’s troubles at the
foot of the division.
James is just over one week into his first pre-season at
Leeds having been among the club’s internationals to return last Monday.
It meant that James played no part in Thursday’s first
pre-season friendly in front of fans against Blackpool but the Wales
international is part of the Whites squad to have touched down in Australia for
games against Brisbane Roar, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Summer signings Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc
Roca, Tyler Adams, Darko Gyabi and Luis Sinisterra were also on the plane – and
James says the recent arrivals and Leeds as a whole will definitely benefit
from the timing of getting those deals over the line.
“It’s huge,” said James. “I came in on deadline day and
missed pre-season last season. It’s not to say I didn’t settle in quickly but
it’s always great for the boys to come in early doors.
“A couple of them have worked with the manager before which
is always great – they know the system, they know how he wants them to play.
"It’s great for them to come in early and get to know
the boys. You want that bond between each other on and off the pitch.”
Even with six arrivals through the door, United are still
looking to further strengthen their squad by landing an additional striker
option, chiefly as competition and cover for Patrick Bamford.
A series of injuries limited Bamford to just nine starts and
559 minutes of league football last term under former boss Marcelo Bielsa and
his replacement Jesse Marsch.
Both coaches often called on James to lead the line and the
24-year-old says he is more than happy to be deployed wherever Marsch calls
for.
“I see myself playing anywhere under him,” said James.
“I think it’s so important to be versatile and be able to
play anywhere around the pitch.
“Nowadays it’s always great to be able to play two or three
positions because if the manager ever wants to change the formation I can still
fit in.”
Reflecting on any criticism that came his way when playing
in the position, James reasoned: “I don’t read much in the media and things
because you can read a hundred things and one bad thing might get you down.
“Even if I do see something, you just keep level headed and
laugh about it. It’s obviously a position I played a lot last season.
"Jesse always brought me in and showed how much I do to
help the team, stretching it, keeping people honest.
“He always brought me in at times when you might not have
scored as much as you wanted to but look what you’re doing for the team. Things
that aren’t probably seen from the public eye watching on TV.
“It was always nice to hear that from the manager. But as a
player, I want to score more goals and that’s something I’ll continue to work
on, off the pitch and I think Jesse will always help me with that as well.”
Thursday’s friendly against Brisbane Roar will provide the
next step and likely a first outing of the summer for James who is now
relishing both his second season at Leeds and the tour of Australia.
“It’s one I’m really looking forward to,” said the winger
who has also helped Wales qualify for this winter’s World Cup.
“The players that have come in have come in early which is
great.
“You can create that great bond with them. Coming in for the
end of the season it was hard for him [Marsch] to get his strategy across
because the games come so fast, there’s no time in training, most of the time
is about rest.
"These five weeks are about learning, getting this new
system locked down.”
Reflecting on last season’s great escape as Leeds avoided
relegation on the final day, James knows just how much United would benefit
this time around from a decent start.
“That would be brilliant,” he said.
“We were in that position last year, something we don’t want
to be in again.
"We had some very important players out last season as
well, it’s no excuse, we shouldn’t have been in the bottom three at the time.
"Thankfully we got out of that and we can improve this
season. We need to go out and show that.”