Why Leeds United entrust £400m future to clenched fists and tactical 'crash' of Michael Skubala - YEP 15/2/23

Leeds United caretaker boss Michael Skubala has been given the green light to remain in charge at Elland Road for upcoming fixtures against Everton and Southampton as the board continue in their hunt for Jesse Marsch’s replacement

Joe Donnohue

The Under-21s head coach has presided over a 2-2 draw with Manchester United and a 2-0 defeat by the same opponents since taking over Marsch’s responsibilities. Skubala is set to remain in the dugout for the foreseeable future, aided by Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo, while the club hierarchy seek to appoint a more permanent fixture.

Skubala’s lack of Premier League experience may be cause for concern when going up against the likes of Everton and Southampton in what could prove to be season-defining matches, but the 40-year-old is far from inexperienced in the world of coaching.

Formerly England futsal head coach, Skubala led the national team to their highest FIFA world ranking in two decades after playing the game himself, representing his country more than 60 times. Skubala also has a degree in sports science and psychology and has worked in a coaching capacity with England’s youth teams, as well as Coventry City and Nottingham Forest’s academies.

As for coaching experienced professionals, young and old, it’s nothing Skubala hasn’t tackled before, either. The Leeds caretaker was appointed assistant manager at non-league Barwell at the age of 23, coaching ex-professionals, many of whom in their thirties. He recalls the difficulty in conveying ideas, learning how to manage individuals and adapting methods to adequately transmit tactical concepts without coming across holier than thou simply because he ‘had a coaching badge.’

"It was a tough environment,” Skubala writes in a Coaches’ Voice piece from 2018. “They had more experience than me in the game, so I couldn’t go in there telling them I knew everything just because I had a coaching badge.

“It was about engaging them with the session, learning how to manage the individuals in the group and figuring out how I could convince them to buy into the project. That’s really challenging when they’re a lot older and have played hundreds of league games.

“It taught me how to apply my knowledge. To think about how much I speak, how I engage with older players, and how I use reviews,” he added.

This season, Skubala’s Leeds Under-21 side went nine games unbeaten as they raced to the top of the Premier League 2 Division 2 standings. They have played attacking, attractive football. While Skubala has been concise in first-team press conferences so far, he has frequently explained the decisions underpinning his tactics, substitutions and in-game tweaks to the YEP after 21s fixtures this year.

Following a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Sunderland Under-21 earlier this season, Skubala explained why he substituted on attacking midfielder Charlie Allen at left-back in order to see out the game. The reasoning for his decision was not immediately obvious, given the fact Allen has limited experience playing anywhere other than No. 10 or as a winger, but Skubala succinctly demonstrated his thinking.

"Charlie's a right footer, they've got a left footer who ducks inside, so it causes a crash,” he told the YEP, clenching his fists and crashing his knuckles against each other. “Charlie's really nimble and quick, so actually, going out there, getting pressure on the ball really quick and just stopping their threat.”

"He's out of position definitely, but as a sub for five minutes [it] just takes the sting out of the winger. And I thought he did really well. I thought he came out with the ball because the winger kept coming inside onto Charlie's right foot and Charlie's quick off the mark. So, even though he's out of position actually I thought he did well when he came on,” the coach said.

This resonates with something Skubala penned in his Coaches’ Voice piece, discussing the decision-making that goes into coaching a game of futsal: “On average you make around 80 substitutions during a game of futsal. And every substitution is technical, tactical. Are they left/right-footed?”

The consideration given to the preferred foot of Sunderland’s right-winger likely won Leeds Under-21s that particular game.

Again, using clenched fists and a visual example, Skubala explained after Leeds’ 4-2 win over Newcastle Under-21s in November, how the team were able to overcome their opponents. At half-time with the score locked at 1-1, Skubala instructed forward Max Dean and No. 10 Joe Snowdon to press separately, instead of as a two-man unit that was bypassed during the first half. Using clenched fists in an oscillating motion to demonstrate his ideas once more, Skubala explained how tweaking Leeds’ pressing triggers helped them pin Newcastle, which ultimately led to the high turnover which delivered the Whites’ third goal of the afternoon.

Skubala likes to use the term ‘overplay’ to his philosophy as a coach, pushing wide players high to engage opponents in their own defensive third.

"The way that we want to play the game in that moment was to try and get around them quickly, overplay the full-back, get my full-back really high and be aggressive. I like to play forward, forward, forward and overplay and play forward all the time,” Skubala told the YEP at the beginning of the season.

The 40-year-old has admitted to tweaking and simplifying the way in which Leeds work since coming in as caretaker, limiting the duration of in-depth tactical sessions. In-game tweaks, such as moving centre-forward Mateo Joseph out to the left wing during a 21s fixture against Middlesbrough, yielded a second half hat-trick for the Spaniard, after going in a goal down at the break, turning the tide and securing a 4-2 victory.

Skubala may only have two games under his belt as a Premier League caretaker but there is a 15-year track record of the Leeds steward accurately and simply transmitting his ideas to players of all ages. It is thought to have been a key factor in his appointment as Under-21s head coach last summer, impressing Victor Orta with his experience of elite player development and tactical nous.

Skubala has described futsal as a ‘pressure cooker’ compared to football, owing to the distinct differences between the two sports. The pressure of leading an asset potentially worth £400 million into not one relegation six-pointer, but two, in the most competitive league of all, will be unlike anything he has experienced before.