Written before Leeds’ stunning win over Chelsea, Tom Haddock took a closer look at Jesse Marsch’s team and their start to the season.
It was never going to be easy for anyone to step into the shoes of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United. The Argentine has always attracted a cult-like following at every club he stops at along his nomadic route through football management. However, after saving Leeds from relegation last season and a bright start to this, Jesse Marsch can afford to be pleased with his work so far. Leeds currently have 4 points from 2 games and sit in 6th place in the Premier League table, 14 places above bitter rivals Manchester United. The outlook going into this season was bleak having lost two key players in Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively but with some clever recruitment and some slight tactical tweaks, Marsch has smoothed over some of the bumps many predicted Leeds would experience.
After a turbulent end to last season in which they stayed up by the skin of their teeth, Marsch has had to find a way to put his stamp on this Leeds side and try and make this season a far more comfortable ride. Obviously we can’t make many conclusions based on two games, but there were a few patterns and performances that may set the tone for the games ahead. Without Raphinha in the squad, a lot of questions were asked of Leeds’ ability to score goals and whether they would have the players to make the difference in key moments. So far the player to step up has been Spanish striker Rodrigo Moreno – the 31 year-old has three goals from the opening two games, including the equalizer against Wolves. Rodrigo has flattered to deceive at times since his record £27 million move from Valencia in 2020 but the signs this season are that he may finally be ready to be the star attacker for this team.
It’s not just Rodrigo who will excite Leeds fans though, the way Marsch’s side have set up in the opening two games, with two narrow attacking midfielders behind the pair of strikers, will give new signing Brenden Aaronson lots of opportunities to impress. The young American was in the 99th percentile for midfield and attacking third pressures among attacking midfielders and wingers in the top five European leagues in 2021-22 and he started his Premier League career in a similar vein. No one covered more ground than Leeds in the opening weekend game against Wolves and Aaronson was one of the best examples of this with his high work ethic at both ends of the pitch. No-one made more pressures than Aaronson in the opening weekend and Wolves left back Rayan Aït-Nouri will have been having nightmares about a 5ft 10 American that night. Aaronson’s goal was another sign of his attitude and athleticism, staying goalside of Ait-Nouri to steer home Bamfords excellent cut back.
Aaronson is just one of the signings Jesse Marsch has made from his former Red Bull colleagues, along with Rasmus Kristensen and Tyler Adams, Leeds are now better suited to the quick-passing style of play that Marsch has used in the past and is now looking to employ at Leeds.
However this new system does come with a few teething problems, as you would expect. Defending attacks from out wide are still an issue for Leeds, with all three goals they’ve conceded so far this season coming from attacks on the flank. The narrow system that Marsch has employed doesn’t help this problem with Kristensen and Struijk often finding themselves being doubled up on. Issues with width aren’t the only problems rearing their head from last season, with Patrick Bamford again facing another spell on the sidelines after being forced off after 28 minutes against Southampton, Leeds will have to do without their no. 9 for a while. Without a clear focal point at the head of the team, Leeds may find it difficult to build attacks in the final third the way Marsch would like. At his previous clubs the American used Hwang Hee-chan at Salzburg (who is now at Wolves) and André Silva at Leipzig as the focal point for his team, Bamford should be fulfilling that role in his Leeds team. Bamford’s physicality and pace are a perfect foil for Leeds’ other attacking talents and his skillset will be a difficult one to replace. With only youngsters Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood as backups, Leeds will likely be on the lookout for a striker in the closing weeks of the transfer window having lost out on Charles De Ketelaere to Milan earlier on in the summer.
The midfield situation is less of a concern than higher up the pitch though, with new signings Marc Roca and Tyler Adams starting to form a solid partnership as a double pivot. Roca is more the passing metronome who dictates the teams tempo whilst Adams mops up behind and does the dirty work. With Stuart Dallas still not back from injury, the man who is first off the bench is 32 year old Polish international Mateusz Klich who many thought would be on his way out this summer, with Dutch side FC Utrecht keen on bringing him back to the Eredivisie. But his performance as a substitute against Wolves on the opening day has resulted in a change of heart at Elland Road with the midfielder no longer considered for sale by Marsch. Klich has always been one for a fiery encounter and the way Marsch wants Leeds to play will no doubt mean plenty of intense matches to come. It always seems that pundits will criticise managers for showing the exact passion that fans love to see and it was no different after Marsch’s confrontation with Wolves manager Bruno Lage after the full time whistle. The drive and commitment shown by the manager and his team throughout that game will be key to making Elland Road a fortress again. This would go a long way to undoing a major part of Leeds’ struggles last season when they won at home only four times. It’s impossible to build any kind of momentum if you can’t win in front of your own fans and the crowd will have to do their part this season to push the players on.
Unlike under Bielsa there is less focus on moving teams around under Marsch, with a fast vertical style of play preferred, the new signings will be key to establishing that throughout the team. In their opening game, of the six Leeds players who made at least four progressive passes, the top two were new signings with Roca (6) and right-back Kristensen with a game high 10. Koch was also impressive from centre-back, making six progressive passes and often finding Kristensen in good positions on the right flank. Left-back Struijk only made four progressive passes, which is why this is another position Leeds seem keen to bolster in the transfer market whilst usual starter Junior Firpo is still not back from injury. Despite the collapse at St Marys at the weekend, Jesse Marsch will be pleased with his team’s progress this season and with his aesthetically pleasing style of football now up and running properly Leeds fans can be optimistic about the season ahead. The fans’ dedication to this club has never been questioned and many will feel that engaging and entertaining managers like Bielsa and Marsch are just rewards for having had to watch the likes of Hockaday or Heckingbottom previously.
By Tom Haddock
