Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch makes dressing room statement and issues injury update after draw - YEP 22/1/23

Leeds United are winless in six Premier League games but Jesse Marsch sees belief in his players’ eyes that they’re moving in the right direction.

By Graham Smyth

A 0-0 draw at home to Brentford extended the long wait for a victory to follow up November’s win over Bournemouth but Leeds were twice denied by fine saves by David Raya and controlled large parts of the game.

Marsch felt the performance was a ‘big positive’ and one which can add weight to his argument that better things are around the corner.

“The group is disappointed because they really felt that they played well and they wanted to be rewarded with the points,” he said.

"But for me I've been really focusing on the performances, the tactical clarity, individual confidence and for me it's very clear we're moving in the right direction. We're maybe a few moments where we have a little bit of an advantage in the attacking third and maybe a clever little combination or a little bit more cleaner quality in the last third from getting three points out of that match, but very stable defensively on set-pieces, very stable. A strong performance from a lot of individuals. So a big positive for me, a big positive.”

The point follows a 5-2 FA Cup triumph over Cardiff City and a 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa, in which Marsch saw the ‘most complete’ performance since he arrived. All in all, Marsch sees sufficient progression and believes his players do too.

“The group is coming together, there's momentum, and I know it doesn't feel necessarily so strong because we're not having a bunch of wins lined up in a row,” he said.

"But this is a little bit what the league is, and you know where we're at, we have to earn everything right now. We're not afraid of it. And the best part is, again, when I look all of our men in the eye right now in the dressing room, they know it's coming together and they know we're getting better and they know we're going to be a good team.”

Liam Cooper missed the game through a knee injury that bears similarities to one he sustained last season but could return to training in days.

"It’s just with his knee, like a minor muscle injury that we kind of felt like it was going to recover faster than it has, but yesterday we tried to see if we could get him going and training and he didn't feel right,” said Marsch.

"So we just made the decision not to go with him. I think this week he should be back in training.”