Matesuz Klich is not stressed - The Square Ball 19/1/23
HYPEBEAST
Written by: Rob Conlon
Jesse Marsch often says Liam Cooper is the best captain he
has worked with as a manager. “In terms of a mentality and being a professional
and a leader,” Marsch said of Cooper back in August, “he’s the best I’ve ever
seen.” Jesse thinks the same about Stuart Dallas. “He is in many ways the heart
and soul of the group,” he said after Dallas broke his femur against Manchester
City last April, “and one of the guys that I think is always at the forefront
in terms of being a leader, and someone who can stand up to big challenges.”
Jesse loves the concept of leadership, and places a lot of
value on it. “That’s what I think I’ve become more of an expert on than
anything else,” he recently said in an interview for the United Soccer Coaches
Convention in Philadelphia. During the same talk, he explained his leadership
council at Leeds, which includes both Cooper and Dallas:
“One of the reasons for the leadership council is I hold our
best players and our captain and our leaders to the highest standard of
everything we do. And if they meet those standards and exceed them, then nobody
else has any room to do anything other than that.”
Cooper and Dallas, like naughty schoolboys, egging on Klichy! https://t.co/QtTralLBym
— The Square Ball (@TheSquareBall) January 18, 2023
Which makes me wonder whether he knew that, ten minutes
before kick-off, two of his finest young men were setting the highest standard,
leading by example, encouraging Mateusz Klich to give the Cardiff fans the
middle finger:
There’s so much to enjoy! Dallas and Cooper remind me of my
two older sisters when I was a kid, daring me to do anything they knew could
piss off our parents or wind each other up. I’d go along with it, knowing I had
innocence and gullibility stashed in my back pocket as a defence. When it
backfired, my sisters could pretend they had nothing to do with it. When it
succeeded and I got away with it, it was a collective triumph, celebrated like
Cooper and Dallas laughing their heads off down the tunnel at Klich’s juvenile
rebellion.
One last Klichousery before leaving 😂
— Leeds Everywhere 🌍 (@LeedsEverywhere) January 18, 2023
🖕🏼to the Cardiff fans @Cli5hy #LUFC pic.twitter.com/X9v8MaBDiQ
Which brings us on to his jacket. My word, the jacket! Klich
was dressed like he knew it didn’t matter how many grown-ups were in
attendance, he was untouchable in his farewell. Klich is one of football’s
hippest Hypebeasts, so naturally it’s made by Supreme, with just enough room in
the inside pockets to fit a few cans of spray paint. He’s also got a
conscience: the fur is faux. Supreme release their clothes in limited
quantities. When an item sells out, they can go for double or triple their retail
price on resale sites. In 2006, Supreme released a trainer collaboration with
Nike that retailed around $150. Resale prices ranged from $300 to $400, until
Kanye West wore them to a Grammy’s event a year later, doubling the resale
price to $800. Klich’s jacket cost $398 to buy from Supreme, and is currently
being flipped anywhere between $500 and $800. If you want to avoid a bidding
war, you can buy one for £972. Although now Klich has worn his on the pitch at
Elland Road, anybody lucky enough to own one should realise it’s priceless.
Klich, Dallas, and Cooper added to a fun night at Elland
Road. Five beautiful goals meant fans could relax and the players could finally
play without the stress Marsch can’t stop reminding them about. His leaders
certainly didn’t look stressed, giggling like naughty schoolboys while their
best mate was setting off the fire alarm. Perhaps this was another lesson for
Marsch in why he’s wrong to rail against Leeds United’s reputation for drama
and carnage. Two of our most sensible and responsible players encouraging our
former renegade to give the away end the finger is how we kick back and relax
in Leeds.
