Every word from Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch's pre-Manchester City press conference - YEP 22/12/22
Leeds United are finally closing in on a return to Premier League action and Whites boss Jesse Marsch held his pre-match press conference today ahead of next week’s hosting of Manchester City.
Lee Sobot
Leeds signed off for the World Cup break with a 4-3 defeat
at Tottenham Hotspur way back on Saturday, November 12. Forty-six days later,
the Whites will return to action next Wednesday evening with the visit of Pep
Guardiola’s defending champions and odds-on title favourites City.
City are in EFL Cup action this evening at home to Liverpool
in their first game back after the World Cup at which they had 16 players
representing the club. Leeds had three players in action in Qatar in USA
international duo Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson plus Rasmus Kristensen with
Denmark.
As part of the six-and-a-half week pause to the season,
Marsch’s side took in a week-long training camp in Spain where they recorded a
2-1 victory against Elche on the back of a win against Preston North End in a
game played behind closed doors.
Upon returning to English soil, Leeds defeated La Liga
highflyers Real Sociedad through a 2-1 triumph at Elland Road on Friday night
but the Whites fell to a 4-2 reverse at home to AS Monaco in the final
mid-season break friendly on Wednesday night. Leeds had ten first team players
missing for the contest, after which assistant boss Rene Maric revealed that
there was illness in camp which had led to a number of first-team players
sitting out the defeat to Monaco.
None of Adams, Illan Meslier, Liam Cooper, Mateusz Klich,
Stuart Dallas, Luis Sinisterra, Crysencio Summerville, Jack Harrison, Patrick
Bamford or Rodrigo made the match-night squad against Monaco for which young
duo Archie Gray and Sonny Perkins were also missing.
But Adams has been given extra time of due to his heavy
involvement at the World Cup and is suspended for the return to action against
City whilst Dallas, Sinisterra, Summerville, Bamford and Gray have all been
recovering from injuries. Meslier has been ill with glandular fever whilst
Maric revealed that Rodrigo had experienced tightness and was therefore not
risked against Monaco.
Marsch spoke to the media at 1.30pm and here is everything
that was said by United’s American head coach.
Is there a way to set up against a team like City who
dominate the ball so much?
“Yes. Whatever opponent we play against, we look at their
strengths and weaknesses and we then tried to address within our principles
what we think and where we think we can find advantages on the day. I think we
have done that in a good job this season in almost every match and certianly
against some of the big opponents and the key for us will be and when you play
a big team like Man City it’s understanding the tactics and then what they’re
trying to achieve and how to negate that and then obviously understanding the
qualities of the players that they have on their team because they have such
high quality, but then also how to make them uncomfortable and that’s with and
against the ball, in set pieces and in what areas you think you can make them
susceptible. Obviously, the better the team, the fewer weaknesses they have but
every team in every system has weaknesses and so it’ll be about exploiting
those and playing that in those areas.”
What long term impact on the Premier League will this World
Cup have? As in this season?
“I think it has the potential to burn some players out. I’ve
seen Man City have brought they players back relatively quickly and there is a
sort of standard in our business that after these big national team tournaments
that players need three weeks. We even only provided ten days. We were fuly
aware with the season coming around so quickly that it was important to get them
back. But the physical and mental demands of a big tournament like that are
very high and so I think it’s really important that we have appreciation for
what these young men go through in these situations and what the pressure of
representating a country in big tournaments like this is like. For us, we had
three players and we tried to use the break again to bolster our fitness,and
also create clarity in our tactics and then make sure we’re refreshed in a way
where when we get back into it and it’s coming quick and the games come fast
that we are going to be at our best.”
What makes Pep the best manager in the world?
“Maybe it’s fair to say that he is the best at managing the
types of players that he manages. He gets usually some of the top talent in the
world and he has over his career and then his ability to form a team around and
a football concept around having those quality players maybe makes him among
the best, or the best. I think at one point he said something about Marcelo and
if he coached Marcelo’s team and vice versa and that’s the beauty of our sport
is we all have our own ideas of how to play the game and then it’s about
matching and finding the right player pool to meet the standards of the way you
want to play the game and so that part that Man City, I think, has been over
the years, has been managed really well. And that’s ultimately you know, the
goal of what we’re doing here, transfer window on transfer window to continue
to add to our team with the kinds of players that we think can fit to what
we’re trying to achieve tactically and then what our goals are long term in
terms of success.”
So it’s not a case of someone has to leave for someone to
come in?
“No, In general I think there’s different strategies. I
think Pep has said over the years he likes18 senior players because more than
that and it gets difficult to manage rotation and then he introduces young
players. I have been some places where they have said f you’re playing in
Europe that the number should be 21. I’ve been places where they say 20. We’re
not so structured that way and we have a lot of sort of moving pieces at
different times and we try to just look at what’s the best situation for every
individual and then how it fits within the group that that we’re trying to push
for any given time period. I’ve been really, for me, with the work that we’ve
done here, I’ve been really happy and satisfied with the commitment from every
player to try to get the most out of every day and that’s ultimately more my
job than telling we need this transfer, this transfer, this transfer.”
Are you happy that there is finance available to do business
in January should it be needed?
“I think, again, they’ll be working with some different
ideas of how to put together the whole package so that we can add to the team
the way we need to and we’ve discussed this often. It’s already been incredibly
active. With some of the goals, I think everyone has had goals that maybe you
can get players in ahead of time so that you can have them even before January
1. Let’s see how things progress.”
If Meslier doesn’t make it have you made a decision on who
will play in goal?
“No, I think we have had some discussions and I think both
our goalkeepers have performed well. Obviously Kris had an illness as well so
wasn’t in Spain. Joel I think has performed really well and been a great
addition to what we have done here. We haven’t made that decision yet but I
think both will be ready if needs so.”
On Bamford
“When he got sick I think it disrupted a little bit his
return into training but we expect that he will be back in training as well and
then it will be can we get him up to speed for the Man City match but we expect
he will be back in training.”
On Rodrigo
“Rodrigo was scheduled to play in the match up until the
afternoon of the match and then we just felt like he was feeling a little bit
of a tightness in his hamstring so we decided to hold him out.”
On Summerville
“He was on the pitch today and he should be in training as
well this week.”
On last season v City - how do you put that out of minds?
“Actually I think we can take positives from last year, I
think we played actually quite well, we gave up two set piece goals and then
went down 2-0 and then gave up two late goals. Now, it wasn’t good enough and I
think we’ve progressed a lot since then and we believe that we can get more
from it now, really. When we had to play the three giants in a row last year, I
think it was just about survival. I think now it’s more about can we be better
on the day and we know that against some of these opponents that we have been
able to manage that. So really huge respect for Man City and the way they play
and the quality they have and the mentality they have. But we also saw right
before the break that Brentford at Man City on the day could do the things that
they wanted and managed to get the points so that will be our focus.”
How has the break been in general?
“Overall, I think it’s been great. We’ve invested a lot in
the fitness of the team as well so some of little injuries have come because
we’ve pushed them a little bit physically but I think that was one of the
reasons why we kind of held guys back last night is we didn’t want to
jeopardise them for a week later. Even in the match last night, I think there
were some heavy legs in the second half which contributed to some of the issues
we had in the beginning of the second half with goals. But I actually think the
first half was a really, really strong performance and really clear from a lot
of players so I feel like we’ve made progress, the togetherness of the group is
always really strong and we need to get everybody as close to 10 per cent
fitness once we get started because the games come quick.”
On Klich - is it about respecting the players’ wishes but at
the same time any potential move has to suit Leeds United?
“That’s a good way to describe it. Klichy has earned so much
respect around here in a lot of different ways and so we always have to have
open dialogue in the transfer windows for everybody but also act selfishly
sometimes in what’s best for the club.”
On Haaland - having coached him - will that make any
difference in your planning for him?
“Yeah. It will help us I think a little bit. It will
motivate him on the day a little bit but it will motivate me as well. The time
I had with Erling was just outstanding and we had an incredible relationship.
He fit into the team so well. It was a really special team that we had at
Salzburg at the time and everyone committed to it at a high level and we really
enjoyed the whole process. I think Erling was a realy good example for all the
young players there in terms of someone who had their mind entirely wrapped
around football but in a way that was fun and I think you guys see that about
his personality. He is obviously very serious about what he does but he does it
in a way that is enjoyable and is infectious for his team mates. In general, I
have some ideas of things we will try to do but it will come down to luck on
the day in certain moments and finding ways to contain him and hoping that we
can still find ways to punish him as well.”
On the 4-3-3 - what do you think it does for the team and
why have you gone down that route?
“Against the ball I think it gives us a little bit more
flexibility to play where we can play a little bit more tilted or we call it
asymmetrically and one side or the other. We can use the front three and the
middle three with different ways of pressing, where we can cover spaces where
we can still attack in front of the back four in ways where we can protect and
attack areas in on the ball side and then also protect things a little bit more
on the weak side. Last night in the second half we got beat in ways that are
similar to some of the things that have happened to us in the past and we are
talking systematically about how we need to address some of those moments. But
the 4-3-3 can look like a diamond, it can look like a Christmas tree, it can
look like even a 4-2-3-1 at times, we can manipulate it with small little
tactical subtleties based on what the opponent is going to present us.”
On no Tyler Adams
“First of all, for him, it’s been somewhat good that that
he’s not available because it gives him a little bit more time to kind of
gradually build in because the demands on him mentally and physically were so
high at the World Cup. I think he has come out of it in a good way, he is
excited to get back to work, he is obviously very confident and eager to get
going but I think he is on track personally. And then we’ve got Adam back in
the mix, and I thought he played fantastic for the 60 minutes last night, Sam
Greenwood has made a lot of progress and obviously Marc is a cornerstone of
what we’re doing even with the way we’ve modified how we play a little bit with
more a 4-3-3 against the ball Klichy played well in a couple of matches and I
think he, once he gets out of his sickness, will be a factor moving forward so
we have options and then it’ll just be about within the new structure that
we’re trying to create against the ball - how to how to use guys the best way
to feed in their strengths.”
Outgoings in January - Drameh perhaps
“Those discussions I think are ongoing, especially with
young players. It’s how to challenge them to grow, and equip them with things
so that ultimately they will provide the club with more at some point, how to
shape their development path to get them to be the best that they can be as
quickly as they possibly can and whether that’s a loan or staying here or
looking at the overall resources of what we have as a team and as a club. You
bring up Cody and Cody has been fantastic over the last month and I am so happy
that we have got to a point with him where he feels so energised by what we are
doing and engaged and the decision will be how to continue to push him in the
direction for him to be an important player for this club which I think he will
be and maybe we even need to think about how it fits now. He’s done really well
and I am really happy for him and then you kind of just try to go through every
player, what’s the situation of the team, what’s the personal situation, how do
we provide him with what he needs to push him along as quickly as possible.”
On Mark Jackson and MK Dons links
“All I can talk about really right now is that Jacko has
been an absolute asset for me from the first day since I stepped foot into this
building. He has done everything and more that I could have hoped. His passion,
his commitment, his love of this club made him essential for me and for us in
our quest to stay in the league and fully believe that without him we wouldn’t
have stayed in the league. He helped me understand what the culture of the club
is, the culture of the fans, what the history means to what we are building
here, he helped me understand the player pool, what was done in the past, what
he thinks we need to do in the future. He committed himself to what I was doing
entirely. It’s not for me to talk about what may be out there or what his
future may but I can only say that I value him completely as a person and as a
football mind and I can see why there is interest in him because I think he has
a big future.”
On Haaland
“Erling texted me as soon as the schedule came out and he
said that he was most excited for Boxing Day and I gave him permission to have
a small hamstring injury for that match. But he was born here. his father his
history at the club, he has, I think, the club in his heart because of that.
Something that we talked about before when I got the job was him and his father
were both incredibly supportive and excited for me. We will expect him to be
fully ready and passionate about this match which causes issues for us.
Obviously I know how good he is and I know how good he can be when he is at his
best. It will certainly be important for us to manage him on the day. I have
been asked many times, how do you do that? And the answer is I think you have
to have a keen awareness of where he is at all times and where he likes to be
and certainly his ability to run hard into the box, his ability to run hard in
transition, his ability to do whatever it takes around the goal to get on the
ends of plays so he is often not the one that is starting the plays but he is
always thinking about where he can be so he can be finishing it and his
instincts in that manner are incredibly unique. We will educate the team as to
what to expect and then how to try to prevent him from getting into those
areas.”
On Gnonto - is he someone you can see featuring v City?
“For sure. I think a lot of our players that maybe if we had
our full squad available that wouldn’t have gotten as much preparation and game
time in the last few games have performed well and I think Willie’s certainly
one of those so that’s good to see and I think, yes, he becomes absolutely an
option to start against Man City.”
On Bamford
“Bamford got sick, which disrupted his return to training
and now it’s can we get him up to speed for City.”
On Meslier
“He has a sort of a test tomorrow morning where they kind of
do some internal checking and then if he is cleared which they typically think
- it will be four weeks by that point that he will be back in training - but he
has been active. With glandular fever it’s two things - it is modifying so they
don’t get chronic fatigue and it’s also making sure that they have no contact
so that when they have swelling that they are not risking any damage. But he
has felt really good and I expect him to be in full training.”
On Cooper and Harrison - are they ill?
“No. Coops had a minor calf injury and Jack Harrison had a
small adductor injury. They should be training this week.”
On the tough start to the season’s resumption - City and
Newcastle
“Right now it’s just looking at Man City and I would have
hoped that more of the Man City players would have gone deeper in the
tournament! But obviously the tournament is so competitive that it’s not easy.
But they just have such a great squad and, for me, the manager in the world, a
very difficult playing style to prepare for and then when you introduce the
quality that they have on the pitch it becomes a monumental task. The good
thing about our team now is that we are not afriad of the biggest opponents and
we have proven that not only can we play with them on the day but that we can
find ways to get points so we’ll use that motivation but we will also have to
have very clear match plan and discipline and execution on the day to give
ourselves a chance and we know that. But I feel like the first day we got together,
I said the standard of everything we do from here on in has to be with Man
City, the best team in the world, in mind - one of the best teams in the world
and I think the attention to detail and concentration from the group has been
such for such a challenge so we’re excited.”
On the January window
“Here’s how I want to deal with this transfer
window...Obviously we are being active and Victor and Andrea and everybody is
hard at work behind the scenes. But I want to avoid talking about it just
because it becomes a lightning rod and everybody wants to draw attention to
that and I need to keep our attention squarely on our group and our progress.
You are going to hear more ‘I am not talking about it’ this time around then
last time.”
On the youngsters and Mateo Joseph - could he impact the
first team in the second half of the season?
“I think I mentioned maybe two months ago that Cree was
knocking on the door a little bit and that I had to at some point throw him
into the mix more. I talked about Willy, Sam Greenwood, obviously Joffy is
another guy that has played a lot of matches since I have been here but
obviously Joffy is always pushing and I think that now Mateo from the younger
group is the next guy that I think with the 21s has performed really well
within, has trained really well with us and is asking questions of myself and
the staff about what his continued role shall be and will be. He has done
really well and we will see what the next month brings. He has scored a lot of
goals (in PL2) and when he scores he has scored a few hat-tricks and he can
score in bunches.”
On Klich to MLS (DC United) - is that a possibility?
“There has been inquiry for Mateusz. But I think from all
sides, we’re still cautious about thinking that it might be time for him to
leave. I think he’s still been really important here. One of the interesting
things is he’s played the fifth most matches for me since I’ve been here. He
has played 25 of 28 games since I’ve been here so for me, he’s one of my
favourite personalities of anyone I’ve ever coached and we have a really good
relationship and we’ve been open with each other in all these moments along the
way and so I’m not sure again that it’s the time for him to leave. But
obviously, with the 25 of 28 games, they haven’t all been starts and I know
that sometimes players would like to play a little bit more. I think we’ve had
good dialogue about his role within the team and continued role within the team
so I think that that’s not necessarily set in stone and he’s obviously a guy
that I still very much like and we think is still a big part of this team.”
Team news
“Merry Christmas everyone. Yesterday we didn’t have a bunch
of guys in the mix because of a few little injuries and then we had a sickness
kind of going around the team. Klichy was sick and we had a few other guys sick
the night before the day of the match but we are hopeful that everyone can be
healthy and be back in training this week with exception to Stuart (Dallas) who
actually had another surgery yesterday to kind of clean some things up and it
felt good that that surgery was successful. And then Luis Sinisterra is making
great progress and we feel like he is on track. We have to be a little bit
cautious with this injury but we are hopeful that in a couple of weeks he can
be back in training but we are hopeful that everybody else is back in training
this week. We will wait and see but hopefully we can get healthy and fit and
ready for the start of the season again.”