Javi Gracia discovers Jesse Marsch stimulation and why Marcelo Bielsa suffered - YEP 16/3/23

Marcelo Bielsa had to suffer without them, Jesse Marsch found them intoxicating and Javi Gracia is discovering the difference Leeds United fans can make.

By Graham Smyth

The Spaniard described the atmosphere during his first game in charge, at home to Southampton, as 'special' and last week credited the fans with a huge part in that 1-0 victory.

"It's crucial for us," he said.

"We know it's always better playing with our supporters because they helped us in the last home game and in my opinion it was the difference to be able to win the game. The atmosphere was unbelievable and it was what we needed to get a good result."

The impact fans would have had were they present in capacity numbers during the 2020/21 season, Leeds' first back in the Premier League under Bielsa, is up for a fascinating debate. Would Patrick Bamford have had the same goalscoring success had he stepped up to address the ball amid a din of expectation, particularly if earlier missed chances had led to 30,000 groans of frustration? He did score seven of his 16 promotion season goals inside a full Elland Road, so it's fair to also ponder whether he might actually have had an even better first Premier League campaign in front of supporters.

Ultimately, as Bielsa pointed out on a number of occasions, the fans were sorely missed every time Leeds played without them, because they bring meaning to fixtures. Having given up 49 of his 170 games as Leeds boss to lockdown restrictions and piped-in crowd noise, it was clear their presence was something he would never take for granted. The great shame was that his stellar first crack at the English top flight played out almost entirely in empty grounds.

His successor, Marsch, could not get enough of the supporters and their noise. He played up to it with post-match celebrations - whirling clothing over his head and fist pumping as the mood swept him up - and performative protests against officiating or time wasting. He whipped them up, attempted to draw the crowd even further into the drama that was unfolding on the pitch.

The American also voiced the opinion that the players' desire to please Elland Road support was stressing them out.

"I've heard a lot about the Elland Road crowd and I thought it was fantastic from the beginning but I could see that the players want to do so well so badly that it brings almost more pressure and stress," he said, after his first home game ended in a 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa and angry chants aimed at the board.

Max Wober, signed to play for Marsch but unable to help save his former RB Salzburg boss from the sack a few weeks later, acknowledges that at Leeds there is a level of pressure he did not experience in Austria, but insists it can only help the team.

"The fans are crazy, it's an amazing atmosphere and probably one of the best atmospheres I have ever played in at any stadium," he told club's matchday programme.

"There are nearly 40,000 people going crazy when you score, make a good tackle, whatever you do. You can really feel the whole city standing behind us and supporting this club. There is definitely more pressure here. The fans are so passionate about everything, so a bad result means a bad mood for the fans, you can feel that. From the first day I arrived here, though, I could tell that everyone supporters this club and really wants to be successful. This support is so helpful for us to turn things around now this season."

On Saturday, not for the first time, Elland Road sensed a need for its help. Tyler Adams left one on Alexis Mac Allister, who required treatment, and the break in play was filled with the sights and sounds of a Leeds United anthem. "We are the champions, champions of Europe," rang around the ground, scarves whirling over heads, and the atmosphere picked up in a big way. Late last season there were moments when supporters realised the team needed them and duly responded.

But Saturday was not a full-throated roar of approval from 3pm to 5pm, it was a journey for Gracia and the fans. Having grown used to a certain kind of intensity and the sight of white shirts doggedly harrassing opposition players for the ball, Elland Road's first half soundtrack was one of confusion and frustration as Bamford and Brenden Aaronson stood off the Brighton keeper and centre-backs. The pair were under express instructions not to rush in with reckless abandon, for fear of the damage Roberto De Zerbi's side can do when they are given space.

Not only were there vehement pleas from the stands for the strikers to engage, there were isolated chants of 'what the **** is going on?' at a time when the Seagulls were dominating. It wasn't until that moment, midway through the first half, that everyone of a Leeds persuasion inside Elland Road appeared to be on the same page.

Gracia patiently explained his patient pressing plan in the post-game press conference and while it was Brighton-specific and unlikely to be repeated this season, it's clear that Leeds now have a head coach in place who will happily, even drastically, tailor his tactics to suit the needs of the occasion.

Elland Road, famously, does not suffer that which does not match up to expectation, bringing a level of accountability to performances that doesn't exist in quieter stadia. It also brings a level of noise that can inspire. An extra push in the back, as Pascal Struijk put it. A look at the league table shows just how badly Leeds are going to need that push as they attempt to climb out of the mire in this final part of the season.

It's long past the time of calls for patience or blind support. You can't reasonably expect supporters to be happy with how the campaign has gone and besides, as Gracia himself said, any suggestion that support needs to be requested ignores the fact that Leeds get it, routinely, from the moment they walk out onto the pitch. What can be said, however, is that a little understanding of Gracia's intention to go about his business in different ways could go a long way. It might not look familiar, it just has to look like survival.