Jesse Marsch's critics can't ignore frustrating Leeds United truth as big questions keep coming - YEP 13/10/22

Patrick Vieira working Leeds United out in the way that he did to get one over on Jesse Marsch begs a pair of questions.

By Graham Smyth

Firstly, why was Marsch unable to respond to his rival's alterations in a meaningful manner that could turn the game back in the visitors' favour?

He knew exactly what Crystal Palace did differently to bypass the press and gain such a strong footing in the game, graciously taking it upon himself to highlight and credit it in his post-game press conference, yet it appeared beyond Leeds to counter it sufficiently.

And secondly, why did it take Vieira as long as it did to make a change to the Eagles' approach?

There do not appear to be too many secrets with Marsch's Leeds. They play in a 4-2-3-1 formation, pack the middle of the pitch, press you ferociously to force errors and target second balls to try and score goals with quick, direct attacking play. Creating and feeding off chaos in the opponents' half, as high up the pitch as possible, seems more likely to result in a Whites goal than a passing move that sweeps from Illan Meslier down through the thirds.

It's not for everyone but when it works, it works. It's just that the occasions on which it has worked have been too rare of late.

Vieira got a good look at Leeds in pre-season when they met in Perth and predicted then that Premier League sides would have to be clever on the ball against Marsch's men.

"I think the philosophy of the manager is clear, putting high pressure and trying to win the ball in the opposition half," he said.

"They play with a lot of intensity so many teams that will face Leeds will have to make a quick decision to play around, because they're really quite aggressive defending on the front foot."

And yet a few months later, at Selhurst Park, Palace set out to play football in and around their own defensive third and struggled to do so, leading directly to a 1-0 deficit.

Had Patrick Bamford taken his glorious chance against his former club, Vieira would have found himself falling into a hole that he had known about for months prior, a hole he had walked right into.

It was evidently the Frenchman's belief that Palace had the individuals and the quality to pass their way around Marsch's front line and into open space. That belief could so easily have been shown up as error, which is one of football's many charms.

Yet the narrative this week, thanks to Leeds' inability to turn an advantageous position into a decisive one, not to mention a whimper of a second half performance, is that many believe they have Leeds worked out. The failure to pick up a win in the last five games, all of which were against sides Leeds should see as their direct competition this season, has much to do with that.

It had appeared that the fixture computer had shown a little kindness to Leeds when the Premier League programme was rolled out, presenting a genuine chance to build a platform for safety, with a nest egg of early points.

Where last season went awry was not so much in that trio of successive defeats to 'big six' clubs but in the draws and losses to midtable sides, just like those seen in the last five outings. It doesn't take much to spark belief, as the win over Chelsea proved, and it doesn't take much to sap it. Things would, of course, change again completely however with a win over Arsenal on Sunday and if last weekend's game tells us anything it's that what you believe pales so much in comparison with what you do.

It matters little, certainly at this stage, what anyone outside of Thorp Arch believes about Marsch, his football and this squad. What matters as they prepare to face Arsenal is what the players believe and the outworking of that belief. Against any side in the Premier League there is scant room for a lack of conviction but against Mikel Arteta's men there is none and the Elland Road clash will call for as convincing a performance as they've ever mustered together.

Keeping Arteta's attack quiet for 90 minutes is likely too big an ask, so some riding of luck will be required, along with the cessation of individual errors, the likes of which have cost Leeds dearly of late. In the Premier League mistakes are so ruthlessly punished that allowing a ball to roll under your feet, missing a good chance, blocking a free-kick on a yellow or even giving up a needless foul in your own half can be the difference between three points, one point or none at all.

Even those distinctly unenamoured with the brand of football Marsch is employing at Elland Road and unconvinced by performances could admit that, in most games, the margins have been incredibly fine. That’s the frustrating truth of it. So Leeds would do themselves and their manager a huge favour by eliminating any naivety or lapses in concentration from their game on Sunday.

It was lunacy to judge Leeds after the Wolves and Chelsea wins that began the season, just as it would be unfair to judge them on the last five, or even this game against Arsenal.

The questions keep coming in the Premier League, though, where the answers have to be convincing.