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.”