What has Jesse Marsch changed at Leeds United?

At times last season, Leeds United fans would have feared the worst. Marcelo Bielsa left the club after perhaps overachieving in his maiden Premier League season, with the club in danger of relegation with one of the leakiest defences in the league. Drubbings against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, with owner Andrea Radrizzani bringing in American Jesse Marsch to try and repair the damage.

In years gone by coaches from across the pond hadn’t traditionally fared the best on English shores. Bob Bradley was deemed a laughing stock at Swansea City but given the good work Marsch had done with RB Salzburg, particularly in developing future Premier League stars like Takumi Minamino and Erling Haaland, he was given a fairer chance. 

Granted, Marsch failed to make the step up when appointed head choice of Salzburg’s parent club RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and the football odds have tipped him to do better, but given the number of departures that summer, including both first-choice centre-backs Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté, he was always punching above his weight.

At Leeds, Marsch has become a popular figure, which is all the more commendable seeing as how he followed in the footsteps of such an esteemed coach like Bielsa, who has a reputation for some of the best man-management in the modern era.

Having managed to beat the drop, winning important games at the back end of the season to ensure survival, his task this year was to establish the Yorkshire outfit as regulars in the top flight. That crazy 90 minutes away at Brentford gave the American a platform to build on, and some subtle changes see Leeds at a steady 11^th in the table at the time of writing.

Marsch was fortunate enough to be walking into a tight-knit dressing room, albeit one that would have to suffer losing their two best players. Kalvin Phillips left for Manchester City whilst Raphinha joined Barcelona, bringing in over £100 million profit for Marsch to play with. Considering the 48-year-old hardly has the managerial pull to attract the top players, he did well in terms of recruitment, opting for the right blend of potential and proficiency. 

Luis Sinisterra arrived from Feyernood having impressed in Europe, serving as a direct replacement for Raphinha. The Colombian is a versatile winger blessed with great pace and while his end product still requires some work before comparisons are drawn between himself and the Brazilian, two goals from five starts represent an exciting prospect in the final third. Elsewhere, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson have tightened up the midfield, with the pair both tough tacklers that are comfortable in possession. 

Not only has his recruitment been spot on, but from tweaking the way they play, Leeds have more control over games. They are covering more ground and look more comfortable at the back, and that is down to how well-drilled they’ve been at times this season.

Marsch demands a lot from his players, with captain Liam Cooper saying the American set his standard right from the start of pre-season. 

“We had a few new players as well and after the game we’ve come in and the boys have had their showers and grub after the game and they’ve obviously not tidied the water bottles away and cleaned the dressing room,” he said. “Straight away the next morning Jesse got stuck into the group on a whole, all of us, and said this can’t happen again.

“Since that day, to be fair, it’s never happened again and he was right to do that.”

It’s those fine details that separate the serial winners from managers with potential, and should Marsch be given the time to build a team in his own image, there’s every chance he could turn Leeds into regulars in the top half of the table. Whether he gets given that time remains to be seen. Being a Premier League manager is a cut-throat business and only time will tell if Marsch fits the billing when the going gets tough.