Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch sat down with journalists on Thursday morning to provide an update on the players who would be available this weekend. The Whites travel to the West Midlands tomorrow evening where they will face Wolverhampton Wanderers. Bruno Lage's men are battling for European competition and have developed a reputation as a well-drilled outfit in the Premier League this season.
"I'll start with an injury update," Marsch began his pre-match press conference with. "Junior [Firpo] has an MCL, they think it's not so bad, it's a little bit lighter Grade 2, so from the date of injury maybe three-to-five weeks.
"Tyler had a successful surgery we already talked about. Liam and Kalvin are fully in training and are eligible for this weekend. So we'll make a decision today exactly what we do with that and what the plan will be.
"Joffy has a little bit of a back issue. That's why he didn't play the 23s game. And we think that he'll be ready for the match, but we're not totally certain.
"Lewis Bate and Jamie Shackleton both picked up injuries in that match so they might not be available and Leo [Hjelde] is actually doing quite well, and we're hopeful that next week or at the end of next week, he might be in training. So that'll be important for us to have another option in the back," he added, before discussing his observations at Tuesday's U23s fixture.
"I'll just quickly reference the 23s match against Manchester United. I thought it was a really good game for a lot of our guys. We're trying club wide slowly to implement a new playing style and have it be put to practice at all these games and I thought that the 23s showed a lot of aggression, a lot of quality and a lot of clarity in terms of the way we wanted to play. So I think the staff, Andrew and his staff have done a really good job with that group and we were really happy to see them play so well and get that win."
Just on Liam and Kalvin, Jesse, how much does that add to the boost from the win against Norwich that you've got two players like that available?
Yeah, I spoke with both of them and I said listen obviously it's a big boost for those two personally but I think the the presence that they have in our team, that it's a big momentum, positive momentum swing for us as a group. They're both quality players.
They're both great personalities and and I think that it'll make us stronger and stronger. So like I said, we'll see exactly what the plan was and how many minutes they can play or what it will be. But just having them back in training is big.
Can you put into context the transformative effect of that late goal against Norwich for you personally? How big is it for the club?
Yeah, I mean, for all of us I think there has been a full investment in the transformation of the playing style and having me here I'm very thankful for the team and the club, and the fans for how accepting they've been of me. I know that with bad results, those things always get stressed, and with good results comes a lot of positive support and momentum. So it was a big day and a big moment, and the key for us is to now use it in every way to make us better and stronger and not just rely on the fact that it was a good moment. So that will certainly be our goal going into this next match.
Where does it rank in your best moments in football? I imagine it carried on long afterwards. You spoke to us when you first arrived about what it's been like around the hotel and imagine there's been a few words that's been said to you since?
Yeah, I mean, it was someone said to me that one of the videos that they put out of the celebration had almost 7 million views or something like that. So I mean, that's incredible to me to think about that. Certainly, I think even being around the city and the fans the way that they kind of appreciated and enjoyed the moment.
You know the other moment in my I think coaching career was in 2010 I was in the World Cup as an assistant and we scored a last second goal, Landon Donovan against Algeria, to win. Maybe it's not right to bring up here but we won the group phase and a country called England finished second.
If there's a downside at the moment, is it not being able to keep a clean sheet yet?
Yeah, but I think we've been pretty stable defensively. I mean, even our Expected Goals until the last crazy phase of the game against was really really low, I think below 0.5. So you know, we talked about how disappointed we were in from the Villa match from every perspective and certainly I have to take responsibility for that. I wasn't we weren't prepared enough. We weren't clear enough with how we wanted to play. We weren't aggressive enough. And we looked, we looked like it.
So we wanted to make sure that having the quick turnaround that we put a totally different performance together and we were able to do that and now we need to make sure that going forward that we never have another performance like what Villa was, so it's a negative reminder but it's more about a positive response and making sure that we understand mentally and then exactly how we want things to look on the pitch tactically so that we're continuing to get better every match.
Playing on Friday. Do you look at it as an opportunity to put real pressure on those teams around you?
My focus is entirely on us. And every match is a chance for us to show that we're better and clearer, stronger and more ready. So that's the total focus is about development and the process of us getting better. That's exactly where I'm at.
On Patrick. How did he come through those 45 minutes, is he okay?
Yeah, I think he was a little sore and and physically the game was very demanding. So I think it was physically - and not just with the injury - but his entire body continuing to adjust to what the demands are going to be for these upcoming games, but he seems to come out of it in a good way and he should be ready for tomorrow.
Rodrigo as well, you're happy that he's gonna be okay?
Rodrigo. I think he will train today and we're hopeful that everything is going to be ready to go. When we did the scan, it seems like he has a little bit of an old injury and it's just about managing some of the symptoms. So we're hopeful that he'll be ready also for tomorrow.
They managed to sprint down the touchline for the last-minute winner, didn't they
Yeah, no, no, I mentioned that in the video session that the two guys that came off a little bit early, nursing a little bit of an injury seem to reach their top speed on this celebration.
What have you made of Bruno Lage's side this season? To many have maybe overachieved to this point?
I think they're a fantastic team with some really intelligent players and they're incredibly well coached. I knew that Bruno Lage is a good coach. But when I watched their team play, I was incredibly impressed and in a lot of phases of the game they defend well, they can move the ball well, they have really good rotations and they have really a lot of clarity tactically as what how they want to play.
This is a big challenge for us, a big challenge for us. But I'm excited about the challenge because it will test us in many ways, how good we are against the ball and some of our pressing, how much we can control them in the defensive third, and then when a team doesn't give away much and they haven't given one goal away in transition moments all year, and we want to be good in transition. So we know that this will be a difficult task for us and the respect for me for Wolves is massive.
We will try to execute a relatively simple and clear match plan that in all phases of the game will hopefully be succinct and we know that certainly defending well and not going down in the game because they don't give much away will be really, really important
Jesse, you mentioned that you were at the U23s the other night. What's your view on the academy setup, particularly something like Archie Gray who's been around the first-team? Do you see him now as part of the first-team setup or is the 23s very separate?
I've had to prioritise. We had a really good training session yesterday that was mixed with 23s, some 18s and some first-team players and my goal will be to integrate the entire club into the idea of football that we want to create. I haven't had the time now but I've tried in little ways to sit down with the 23s staff, to work with the players on the pitch, to get to know the 18s more and more.
We will eventually build out everything so that the unity and clarity of our coaching team within our club and then and then our player pool is is very clear with who we are and how we want to play and that will benefit everyone. But that will take time and that's something I haven't had a lot of. That will be fully my goal is to have the type of club where everybody is fully connected here especially here in Thorp Arch. I know from meeting everyone that there's the type of people here that are fully engaged and want to commit to these things in a big, big way which is so exciting for me, but I'm not able to do as much on that level with with engaging everybody quite yet.
On Archie, just how good is he when you've seen him? A few youngsters who've surprised you?
Yeah, so again, if you're talking about the 23s game, I thought that a lot of those guys played really well. I thought Sam Greenwood was really good. I thought Crysencio Summerville played really well, Jenkins I thought was really good in the midfield, you know, we had the two centre backs Nohan and Charlie were both very good. And also Kristoffer in goal also played amazing.
I mean, I thought it was a really good performance. And then when Archie comes off the bench I know there's a massive anticipation for Archie to be a big, talented player. And I think that he's intelligent. He can read the game really well. He can run all day. He's good on the ball.
He's got a lot of really good qualities to be a strong player in the middle of the field. And I think it's always key for us here even speaking in the media - listen, Archie has an incredible bloodline, he's a big talent here a home a homegrown talent. But we also have to I think support him and believe in him but also be patient with him and not put too much on his shoulders at a young age but but from getting to know him as a personality I think he's excited to be on the pitch every day. He loves football. He loves training. He has a lot of, I think really strong qualities as a person that will help him develop rather quickly.
There's a bit knowledge gap with Marcelo and all his staff having gone - do you need to add to your staff quickly?
FF and I'm very thankful for you know, I spoke about Mark Jackson, I think in the first press conference, he's been amazing, amazing. Willie and Aaron our two video analysts have invested a lot, Marcos [Abad], the goalkeeper coach has worked very closely with us.
So we're cranking every day. We're probably all doing about two, three more jobs than we should be. But it's also worked, right. So yeah, I haven't had enough time to even think about how to build things out from now. Once we get to the FIFA break, we'll be able to take a little bit of a pause and then we play once every week and then we'll have a little bit more time to really sort everything out more and more for what things need to look like as we continue to move forward.
But the way we're managing things I think has been very effective. I think the players are very clear every match and there's been a lot of efficiency. So that's been good, but there's been a lot of work put on all of our shoulders, which in the moment is okay.
Can you remember what was going through your head when Joe Gelhardt scored on Sunday? And then how long does it take you to kind of come down from a moment?
There's immediate jubilation because the moment's tense, right and so I think I knew at the moment regardless, like my focus was what to do. As soon as we gave up the goal quickly, you try to adjust and say okay, how can we affect the game now? Is there a formation change? We had one more sub? Can we put Joffy in? And then as soon as we score the goal, there's a moment of jubilation.
But then there's a quick adjustment to now assessing again, all right, what do we have? What are our options? How do we adjust the formation so that we can protect ourselves and protect the lead? And I've gotten better at that with more experience, like as a younger manager in a moment like that I would just be celebrating and only thinking about holding on for the lead and as a more experienced [coach] you think more about, what are the options and how do you use everything at your disposal to make sure that we can manage the game.
How long does it take me to come down from a moment like that?
Shortly after the game, I'm okay. I mean, I walked around the stadium I went up and saw Victor and Angus and everybody's so happy and they've been through a lot, you know, and I wanted to make sure that I was part of that experience too, so that they can enjoy it. My family was here for the first time, I think my wife went through hell, you know, again, it's almost like a support role that I want everybody to feel good about what we're doing and clearly in that moment, that's not a huge, huge job to do.
But, you know, I mean, again, my focus is so much on just trying to control what we can control, to focus on the things that matter, to concentrate on exactly who we are and how to get better. And if we can do that then I believe we have the quality as people here and as players to manage the situation effectively.
Just talking about kind of a transition between the Villa defeat and then that drama against Norwich. What has that told you so far about the mentality?
Well, that was mostly what we talked about and about how to create a match plan that was clear and simple. I said this, I think after the game against Norwich that I have to learn here too, I have to learn about our team and our players. I have to learn about what it's like to play in our stadium, I have to learn about everything. So this is a crash course for me as well. And so that's what I do is I evaluate myself and what I think I need to do and what's important for me to do the job effectively and then try to evaluate then how I can impact the group and the team and each individual player.
So I would say Friday was a - I know those days as a manager. I sometimes love those days in a difficult situation after a bad performance. Because I have to come up with solutions quickly, I have to be strong in that moment and show that I'm clear. And then I can help everyone. And then I'm not afraid and then I'm ready for the next moment and that and how to help the team do the same thing. So again, we had a lot of different little small conversations, some with the full team, some with the leadership council, some with individuals, and the goal was to make sure that we come out of it better and clearer and stronger for the next performance and we did that.
What have you learned about yourself so far?
Well, I think I've had to adjust to the league quickly and what the games are like. I've had to adjust what it's like to play at our stadium. One thing that's nice is for me to speak English again with everybody because I know I can communicate more clearly that way. Even when I'm standing in front of the team I feel I did it effectively in German but I know, with my native tongue that I can really do that much better. I think it's all about the adaptation and understanding exactly who our group is and what our opponents are and what the league is. I think that's the most important thing.
You talked about the kind of magic of Elland Road, how do you translate that onto the road, so to speak for away games like this?
Well, in some ways, I mean, first of all, when at Leicester I thought we had a really good, really good support in the stadium which was fantastic to see and feel - I think we'll have that again at Wolves. I think there's also it's important to understand what games and match plans need to look like when we're at home and what they need to look like when we're not you know.
Certainly being aggressive at home I think rewards the fans and the energy and the mood in the stadium. And then understanding how to manage the moments on the road where, you know, 90 minutes full aggression can not always be the best plan. So, you know, we'll address that a little bit with how we deal with Wolves on this weekend. But in the end, we always want to be aggressive and we always want to go after the game in a big way and we will.
Jesse, what's the division of responsibilities, particularly with Cameron [Toshack] and Frankie [Schiemer]? What are their specialities?
Frankie is helping a lot with the set pieces right now and then also with training because he understands the football philosophy very clearly and we have worked very closely together. So he has been very, very, very important in terms of implementing the plan every day. Cameron has been very good organisationally and helping us understand the league and the different nuances of planning and organising and all that. Jacko has been very helpful in terms of understanding what our club is about, what the young players are about, how we can organise training with young players every day.
So that's been massive. And then the two video guys have been very important to work with me very closely in pre-match analysis, post-match analysis. I like to do a lot of video. It's one of the things that even when I've had really good video analysts over the years, it's something that I invest a lot of time in both individually with the team and as a whole. So yeah, I've been watching a lot of video. Some days I feel like my job is a video analyst, but it's important. It's the best teaching tool and it's very important when it comes to preparation for opponents.
Have any of the players surprised or changed your initial perception from before you arrived?
All of the more experienced players have really impressed me with their ability to throw themselves at this entirely, to believe in it to give everything they have, to be selfless, to give opinions, to push the group from the inside. That has helped me immensely, immensely. And then I think, in general, everybody had a really open mind to trying to learn a new kind of football and to understanding that the details are really important and that step by step we need to continue to focus more and more on transitioning into what we want to become.
So it's up to me to continue to encourage that, and reward it and provide room for them to give their personality and give of themselves but I'm really, really thankful for the player pool. And I mean that's across the board. It's hard to really single out one guy, because really the entire group is as selfless and as humble and as hard working as any group I've ever seen. So really feel fortunate to be here.
Jesse, after an amazing result like Sunday, what have you seen in training this week from the players? How do you harness that kind of energy and ensure they don't get too ahead of themselves?
Yeah, I think the most important thing is we've tried to just stay pretty level about it. I think we know that it was a big moment and we were positive about the experience, the video I still showed a lot of the things that we can do better and then the moments when we did do them better. And so focusing still on the details of the tactics and the behaviours and the relationships on the pitch is what will help us have more good moments.
So again, I think that will gain a big confidence boost and I've seen that you know, but I don't, I haven't seen around training everyday and on the pitch and in the training centre here, I haven't seen a lot of anxiety. I think that's why maybe Aston Villa surprised me a little bit. But again, I'm trying to have my finger on the pulse of the group and what they need and how to help them.
Talked about the leadership council a few times - who's in that and how's that dynamic worked for you?
So right now, you know, again, these are the initial phases, so I'm happy - I first met with five guys and then I added two more. So right now it's Liam, it's Luke, who I've also learned his name is Bill. Okay. It's Adam. It's Rodrigo. It's Kalvin. It's Stuart. And it's Patrick. So those seven guys right now.
And how does that dynamic work for you?
I'm trying to get the whole team to know me, but it's really important for them to have their finger on the pulse of who I am. So that we can kind of, that they can translate to me what they think is important for the team from what they're hearing from other players and I can translate to them and they can kind of disseminate and help give information that's important and that they're fully in, that they're committed 100% to what we're trying to develop here. And the more that those seven guys can do that I think then it will disseminate and it will be easier for everybody to be all in and to understand what we're trying to accomplish here.
How do you intend to use Kalvin Phillips when he's he's really fit because he spent four years at club level perfecting that whole sole defensive midfield role and obviously it'll be slightly different in your system and your line-up?
We had a good conversation and he said that actually it's not that dissimilar from what they do with the national team. Right? So he plays a lot in there with Declan Rice and they share a lot of responsibilities as a double six against the ball. They tried to do some of the similar things with pressing, they talk about counter pressing. So, you know, obviously, it's not exactly the same but there are similarities and Kalvin's an intelligent guy so I think he'll be able to adjust relatively quickly.
He had a really, really strong training session yesterday, really strong, as did Liam. They played with intensity played with the ideas that we're trying to implement with them without the ball. So yeah, I mean, I'm excited. I'm really excited to get him on the pitch. And so we're we're obviously getting closer and closer with both.
How tempted are you tomorrow, with either of them?
It'll be the same as how we handled Patrick. We'll make a plan and we'll stick to the plan. And the worst thing we can do in the moment is have any kind of setback so we're very, I'm very disciplined when it comes to how we manage the players physically. That is something that I know is of the utmost importance, and it's probably the biggest contributing factor to success or failure, is having a fully fit and fresh and healthy team.
Jesse I'm sure you saw bits of Kalvin in the European Championships and he seemed to take his game to another level by playing that role. Do you think he can become a better player with this role?
I hope so. That'll be the goal. That's the goal with all the players is to help them develop and grow and get better and as people to help them develop, and grow, so I think Kalvin has - as good as he is - I think he has room for as a leader to grow I think room with intensity and being aggressive against the ball and then how to use his quality with the ball to help himself in the team. So yeah, I mean, that'll certainly be the goal. And I think that all these young men are committed to that fully.
Just in terms of the differences. You know, we always like to look at English as being different to everywhere else as someone who's actually learnt it: what are the big difference?
Well, there's the quality of tactics on the pitch and then the quality of the player on the pitch. And when you add the two up, even scouting matches, when I'm watching Wolves or Leicester, Villa or whoever play, I'm amazed at how good the teams are. And then trying to develop match plans to effectively try to neutralise some things and then be the aggressor and with the ball have solutions. Yeah it tests you every day, but it can only make you better as a manager. So yeah, it's fun. It's fun. I know I have to get results. But I'm enjoying the process and and especially with this group of young men in this club.
What sort of lift does it give the team to have a player like Kalvin coming back amidst a relegation battle? There aren't many teams around you who can call up an England player.
Yeah, I mean, even when I first came, I knew that getting the three main guys back to full health was going to really dictate our success, right? I mean, we have a good group, but you need your best players on the pitch and so yeah, so my focus has been working very closely with Rob Price and the medical team and the athletic trainers to do everything we can to take rapid steps forward in an intelligent way. And I think we've managed that quite successfully. We still have a lot more work to do. But yeah, we always kind of had a goal of can we get those three guys really top fit and sharp after the FIFA break. So, with Pat we were a little bit ahead of schedule, with Liam and Kalvin we're about on schedule, but still we have a lot more work to do and if we can continue to manage that right that will only help us.
In your conversations with Kalvin have you spoken about his long-term future?
I haven't spent any time with anyone talking about long-term future, only about living in the moment. And what's important for every day so you know, those conversations can be had, I think down the road once we can establish a few more things, but again, it's for me it's been in the moment just focusing on prioritising what's important and so those conversations I think, are more for the club, but I can always help. And of course I would love to keep guys like Kalvin and Patrick and Raphinha, I would love to keep those guys here as long as possible. So we'll see. Those conversations will be had.
Jesse's talking about what you want from Kalvin as a leader for the team. What exactly do you mean?
I think he is a leader by his presence in the group, you know, and I think he can be a bigger voice in the group. That's all. He's clearly so well respected and liked in the team. And he is Leeds through and through.
Is it important for teams there's always that heartbeat in the team because he's local?
Yeah, I think that you're absolutely correct about that. I mean, the identity of the team in this moment is Kalvin is a big part of that. But there's a lot of guys that are and there's a lot of guys that are fully committed to what it is to be, you know, part of Leeds United, so I'm trying my best to do the same.
