Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch was in good spirits as he previewed the Whites' Premier League fixture against Southampton this weekend. Almost two weeks have passed since the American's last appearance in the dugout, as a fast-paced start to life as Leeds boss eventually began to slow with March's international break.
Due to slight knocks and positive COVID results, Marsch has had the majority of his first-team squad available to him during the brief international window and believes his side have made progress on the training pitch. This follows a short period in which players and staff were given time off following the victory in the West Midlands.
As has become customary under Marsch, the American chose to begin his press conference with an injury update: "I'll start with a few things. We had Raphinha that had COVID. And then over the break, we've had some COVID here as well, a lot with the staff, actually. So the timing [of the international break] for us was actually pretty good. But coming back now, we think everybody's free from those concerns, hopefully knock on wood for the match. And we know it's also, I think, the last matchday that we'll be doing so much testing here in England," Marsch began.
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"Then I'll give you a quick update on on the injury situation. Obviously, we made the announcement about Patrick Bamford. Personally I was really disappointed that this happened to Patrick that this is the way that it ended up. We felt like we were trying to create a progression that protected him in a good way but this injury is a tricky one for anyone who's ever had it before. It's not so straightforward. And often how to manage the pain how to get through every moment so that you're progressing but not overstressing is not so easy to get the balance right and unfortunately he ruptured a small part of it [plantar fascia].
"Upon visiting some experts, they've actually said that it's the best thing that could have happened to him long term, which is a funny thing to say, but it relieved a lot of the the pressure and the stress and the pain that he had in that area and he's actually already feeling better than he felt before. So, we're hopeful that this six week prognosis that we gave is accurate. And we have to then I think, put him on a new progression that gets him healthy, strong and back to 100%.
"Additionally, Leo [Hjelde] was back in training a little bit this week. So he won't be available for the weekend. But he's back in training, Junior [Firpo] is getting closer and closer and ahead of schedule, so that's good news. Jamie Shackleton had a little bit of a calf injury but he's back on the pitch, not with the team yet, but hopefully in a couple of weeks he'll be available and then the last one is that Tyler Roberts is looking good and feeling good and even though he won't be back this season, we feel like the surgery was a success and that he's on the start to a good path. So, that's our updates for now."
You're talking about Patrick Bamford. How is he, how has he been over the last couple of weeks in mentally because you obviously saw the emotion straight after coming off against Wolves?
I've been here for four weeks and I'm getting to know the personalities of everyone here. Patrick is an energetic, positive person, and I think maybe that was part of the disappointment, is he was so committed to getting himself playing again and helping the team that when he felt that it wasn't right, it was really difficult for him to handle. But almost the next day he was already positive again, and thinking about what we can do to to still find a way to get him back healthy and still thinking about how we can contribute into the season, and obviously he wants to give himself a chance to compete for a position in the World Cup team [with England]. So I think in every way, we want to make sure that we get him back to being at 100% and we believe we can now.
Are you writing him off for the rest of the season?
No, I think the six weeks [prognosis] means that I think he can be available for the last two matches. We'll have to wait and see exactly how everything goes. But like I said, he already says he's walking better, feeling better, pain free, which he wasn't for the last, I don't know, six months, four months, so we're we're optimistic and hopeful.
He said himself the injury is like trying to walk on plug sockets. Imagine it's quite difficult trying to play football like that, it is such an unusual injury for a footballer.
So the end of the Norwich game, or the end of the first half of the Norwich game, he kind of looked like that, you know? He looked like he just wasn't able to plant his foot like normal and be powerful. And that was why we made the decision to take him out in half [time] then. And then obviously, before the injury even happened in the match against Wolves, I was already trying to get him off the pitch because I could see [he] wasn't right. So again, trying to get the balance right with that injury is not easy and it's not a normal tissue. It's a very dense tissue that's not so easy to manage and and sometimes it's about fighting the pain but other times it's about recognising the pain.
Premier League meeting today discussing the introduction of five substitutes - is that something you're in favour of?
Yeah, I am in favour of that. And I believe that it helps the game, it makes games faster, more intensive. For me it also helps when you're developing [young] players that they can have more playing time. You know, right now, I came from a situation where for two years, I was operating with five substitutions and now going back to three, it's an interesting feeling, I feel handcuffed more on the bench by not being able to affect the game as much by putting in more fresh players and being still aggressive in the match so I think it helps the quality of the game. I've heard the argument that yeah, the better teams have better rosters, but there's also the argument that the better teams have a better XI. So the better teams are better. I understand that but in the end I like especially with the way we play in the aggression that we like to use, I like having more fresh players on the pitch than than fewer.
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Spoke to Rodrigo yesterday, and discussed his part in the leadership group - do you see him as the main man, the main striker in the team now?
I see him as a leader in the team and I see him as a guy that is committing 100% to everything we're trying to accomplish as a group. And listen, I can say that about every guy. But for sure with Rodrigo, he wants to learn the the ideas that we're presenting, he wants to commit to the tactics, he wants to be aggressive in the right moments, and still help the team with the ball and to have quality and execute in the last third. For me, working with him getting to know him has been absolutely outstanding. I think he's, as a human being, an incredible person. And I still think he has a lot, I still think I can help them grow, and get better and and continue to develop and I believe that about all players whether they're 35 or or 15, that there's still room for development and certainly part of his development is the role he plays within the team as a leader, because the guys still look to him in a lot of ways. I'm really happy to be here and to work with him and to get to know him more and I think he's going to continue to play a massive role for us in the offensive part of the field but get better and better at counter-pressing and pressing and winning balls and all those things as well.
With not as many players going away for the international break have you been able to work with them a bit longer than you thought?
We've been able to work through some tactical topics more and create better understanding with relationships in all phases of the game. I think that's been useful. We haven't had everybody here or everybody on the pitch every day but even the video sessions again and then some of the guys coming back, just updating them on some of the work that's been done and helping them understand the analysis that we've made over the last two weeks and then make sure that that it can lead to a better and better performance, especially come Saturday. It's an eager group, eager, like hungry, hungry for more. And I think we have to really maintain that mentality and understand that even though we've gotten six points, and we've relieved some of the stress in terms of where we are in the table, that the best way to continue to control that is to make sure that we are really focused on every performance every day and maximising what we're doing.
Those two wins, have they allowed you to take breath, Jesse?
I promised Andrea and Angus and Victor, that I would focus entirely on the first team and making sure that all the energy was going into what was necessary to help the first team be successful, but I can't help but to also be thinking about what we're trying to do here as a club. So we've obviously worked intensively with the players over the last two weeks but it balanced in, I think a little bit of a mental and physical break for them too, on the weekends. And then, it's also allowed a little bit more time to have a few more discussions with the academy coaches and and have some style of play discussions and see if we can start the process with the entire club about moving more and more to the idea of football that we're trying to put in place with the first team. In all ways, I think getting to know people more, more people getting to know me and continuing to work together with everybody within the club from all levels is going to continue to make us better and better and stronger and stronger. I really feel good about the last two weeks I feel good about them.
Jesse, we've seen the change in style particularly with the pressing, when it doesn't work and you look a bit narrow how would you counter-act that?
Yeah, I think in general, it's just continuing to fine tune the relationships on the pitch tactically. So that they understand when the opponent presents challenges to us through whatever they may want to do with or against the ball that we understand what our solutions are and what we're trying to execute. And often how it works with the way that I think about football is all 11 players have to really fit within the context of what we're doing and that's where the compactness is important. So yes, I know that there's discussions about that we play narrow, but for me, I call it more controlling spaces because we want to be good with the ball and against the ball but we also want to be good in transition moments in both directions. And to do that, the more compact you are and numbers you have around the ball, you can control those moments better. There are still moments to be expansive, especially with the ball and we have to get that balance right but always understanding what our reactions are, what our behaviours are specifically when we win the ball and when we lose the ball, are really important to my philosophy of how we want to play football.
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How well do you know Ralph Hasenhuttl with your Red Bull connections? What are you expecting from Southampton?
In 2016/17, in the winter, Ralph was kind enough to allow me to join his staff for about six, seven weeks in that time. Ralph is an incredible human being, that's the first thing that needs to be said, is he is a really good person that cares about people and cares about the his teams and the environments that he creates. And then he's a sharp, intelligent manager. And I think he believes in a lot of the same principles and philosophies that I believe in, in football. I learned a lot from from the weeks that I spent with him and that time and the way that he leads and the way that he talks and the way that he thinks. Maybe that helps our team and me prepare for what he is and what his team is right now but more importantly I look back at it and reflect on it as a really helpful time for me and a really special time to spend with him.
People say 40 points is enough to stay up, it seems to have gone down in recent seasons. Do you have a figure in mind of the points tally that will make you safe?
I always heard it was a point-a-game because when I was with the US national team and I was an assistant, almost every American that we had in the Premier League was shooting for a point-a-game because we they were always fighting relegation. But I don't have a point total in mind. I've said a lot and I'll say it again, the focus is on the daily work and just trying to prepare ourselves and to grow as a group. And the more that we do that, then I think the more that we can fight for points.
Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips are they in contention to start perhaps this weekend?
Yes, absolutely. There's a few things: I think they're both in contention to start. I think they're both probably not fully 90 minutes fit but really close. I don't think we can start both of them, because then it's already potentially two subs we have to make but I think that we will think very carefully, we'll have a meeting today about exactly where they are. I've spoken with both of them already and they both are feeling good and they both are looking even better. So we're obviously really excited to have them in the group now and think they can both have a massive impact in our team.
How do you see Mateusz Klich's abilities and profile fitting in to your system?
When you play with two sixes, it's I think always important that they can have a little bit different qualities. And Mateusz is probably more of an eight or a 10 than he is a six, but he still can I think meet the standards for what we want to do specifically against the ball and then obviously with the ball, some abilities to have solutions in tight spaces by moving with the ball a little bit, by creating, by finding a little bit of time and space for himself, which can help create pause for the game for us. So I think that he's also shown that he's committed to playing against the ball and learning our aggressiveness specifically in one-v-one duels, defensively, and he's done really well. He's won a lot of balls for us in pressing moments and in counter-pressing moments. And he's intelligent. Even in the Norwich game, we put him up the field for a little bit in the 10 role when we took Rodrigo off, and so he can still play an advanced position for us but I think he's fitting into our team really well in in a little bit deeper position.
Ralph Hasenhuttl spoke about his side's lack of patience against Watford, is that something you can take advantage of?
I've watched that game carefully. I've watched a lot of their their recent matches and I think that they've been a little bit unlucky to not do better in some of these matches. I thought what they did against Norwich, with and against the ball in their last victory, or one of their last victories was quite good and they've developed I think a few more tactical nuances for how they like to rotate and move, specifically their sixes around in buildup phases. So we'll have to be aware of some of those things. We'll have to understand that when they do create some rotations, how do we want to attack those those positions in those moments? Obviously, we want to be effective in transition when we win balls. But we have to also understand that one of the most important things is that we always have balance when we're in possession so that we don't allow their ball winnings to lead them into dangerous transition moments. So we've talked already this week a lot about Southampton and what to expect and what we want to look like. I've even talked a little bit with some of our front players - I like our front players to have a little bit of freedom sometimes to move around and find the game but also we need to have a little bit more discipline to tactically and positionally be in the spots that we need with or without the ball so that we can limit the opponent, and also expose the opponent a little bit more. So that's been a talking point and I think all of those things will be really important against Southampton. It's a similar philosophy that they like to play, it's just the nuances of what they tried to tactically do in different phases and what we like to do.
Obviously, without Patrick being in the side, you lose that figurehead at the top of the side. Dan James has deputised there this season but has been used there fleetingly across the last few weeks. What can he bring in terms of strengths and weaknesses?
Dan - first of all - he will be a threat for any team when he plays along the backline in any of the front four positions because he's so fast and his timing to get in behind is often very, very good. Trying to position him and have him understand how to fit in the game so that in the box, he can still be in really dangerous spots that we can find him in dangerous spots, and that he can score more goals and have more assists. He's also very aggressive when he gets into pressing moments and when he starts to attack the opponent so you know, I'm just trying to get Dan more and more integrated into the system of play more and more and into the philosophy of what we're trying to achieve. And then I think still Dan has the flexibility to play any of the front four spots whether we play 4231 Whether we play 4222 and and be creative, be effective, be aggressive and be dangerous. So I like Dan, I sat with him today for like 45 minutes and talked about some of the tactics and the videos and he wants to learn he wants to get better, he wants to commit all the way to playing this way and I think he knows that it can reward him as well. When you talk about the the striker position, certainly Sam Greenwood I thought played really well in Wolves off the bench and we kind of used him for a little bit as the striker position and then one of the 10s and then we have Joffy. Joffy was a little bit injured in the Wolves game and wasn't at 100%. And, certainly with me and with us in this process, we have to get him going more and more and more. So certainly he will play a much bigger role now going forward.
Talking about Joffy, how do you approach that topic? Ongoing topic as to how you manage young players and their exposure to top level football. How do you approach that with a player of his age, talent and potential? Do you sometimes have to hold yourself back?
Yeah, it was a shame because we wanted him - we were considering him to start against Wolves. And then the whole week he didn't train because, well, first he was going to play against Man U in the 23s match and then we wanted to make intention for Wolves from the start or more minutes and then he just had this back spasm that prevented him a little bit from training. We got him training a little bit last week, and then this week, so that part's been good. And he has to play, you know, young players have to play in order to improve and he has the quality to do so. So I'm not so concerned about it. I believe in him entirely. And I know he's going to get better and better and when we had a little bit of a test match on Friday played really well. We played basically the first team against the 23s for 45 minutes, which Kalvin and Liam both played 45 minutes in that stretch. And I think at the end of the 45 minutes it was 10-2. And Joffy played great in that moment. He had I think a goal or two and, you know, I mean, it was a strong performance from the front four guys. They were incredibly powerful and direct and aggressive.
A lot has been said about Raphinha this week - I just wondered where you think he is and what your impression of where this is going over the next six months?
Yeah, speaking about this test match, little game we had Raphinha was incredible in the 45 minutes. He, for me, is a massive talent, a massive talent. And my challenge is despite all of the things that are being said on the outside, is to have the type of relationship with him where he and I can focus on his development and him doing everything he can to help the team and to continue to get better while he's here. I haven't said a word with him about Deco, Barcelona, any of these things right? And everybody knows it's out there and for me as it should be because he's a fantastic, fantastic player. I want him to become the player that I know that he can. I think everyone sees here, how talented he is, how committed he is, how hard he can run, how confident of a young man he is. You know everyone here wants to enjoy the football that we can play with him and and of course we want to convince him to stay as long as we can. Because he's so good. He's a fantastic player and a really good person.
Just another question on Patrick Bamford. Do you think that's a position down the line where you'll need further resources to supplement him?
Victor and I, we were having a scouting meeting next week, because most of his scouts were out watching games during the international break. We've had some discussions already. I don't know exactly how it worked when when Marcelo was here, but I understand that my role is to be the manager. And then we have a sports director and a group of scouts that look at how to build within our team. So I like to give profiles of the types of players that I like, and then I like the sport director and the scout to work diligently to do their jobs and then present players and then we work through it together and we make decisions together. Because I find that it's really important that when new players come that everyone is fully aligned so that it's not like, 'well this player belongs to this sport director or this scout or this manager'. I can tell you the whole talk with with Brenden Aaronson, this all happened before I even came here. Now I know Brenden, I coached him and he's an American, and I think he's a great player. But even when he came to Salzburg, Salzburg found him or knew about him before and came to me before he even came, and then we worked together to think this was the right player for us. So that's how I like to work and that's what I think is really important with scouting. In terms of the position I think we have some talented players there and I think we have some flexibility with all the players that we have up front. But yeah, we might we might need to look to find another attacker or two and one specifically that is a number nine, that is a possibility. But we will discuss that more next week. And maybe I can answer that question better next week as well.
Obviously you've had Patrick Bamford only sporadically so far. I assume you are banking on seeing a lot of him in April. Given your other strikers have got different qualities. How much do you have to alter the way you play?
Yeah, wish we had Patrick at 100% for sure. Because I like the way he plays and and and and I like his personality on the pitch, it brings something to us. You know, in general, I thought even coming here at this moment or four weeks ago in general was an opportunity, not just from a results perspective, but as we're building into the transfer window, for me to know more about the roster and the players so that I can have more input to help make decisions on what we need to do for the future. That's where we're at right now in evaluating the entire attacking situation without Patrick. It's a chance, it's an opportunity for me to get to know Joffy more and Sam Greenwood and some of our young players and then to invest in them and their development. How much we need to alter, I don't think we need to alter too much because I still think we have a really good group of options, that have flexibility? So you know, even when I some days when I look at the board and think about training and where do I put Sam Greenwood well, sometimes I put them in the nine sometimes central 10 Sometimes a wide 10. How do I think about Raphinha in different moments, and I like that when we can have flexibility with players so that we can tactically alter match plans. So we're not totally to that level of sophistication yet we have a lot to go in order to to get us where I want us to be but certainly the group has flexibility and quality.
And you mentioned Patrick with regards to the World Cup. Do you think it'll be important that he's available for the Nations League games in June and will that come into your thinking when he is coming close?
I think in general we want to, with all the guys, we want to create a recovery path that is aggressive but but also smart and intelligent and give them the best chance to get to 100% as quickly as possible. So that will be the case with Patrick. For us in the moment, he's our player. We're focused more on getting him ready for our season in our matches than we are for the national team. But I believe that the national team is really important for him and his development and ultimately that will have a big effect in return for us as well. I'm a believer in the national teams, you know, like when I was in Germany none of the coaches ever want to send their their players to the national team. And I didn't understand that because I played for the national team I coached for the national team, and I know how valuable those experiences are and that they help men grow to be bigger in every way. So there are obviously pitfalls with injuries and everything else when players are away but I want our players to have those experiences have success and get better.
Jesse, you were speaking earlier about the time spent with Ralph that winter - what was the main thing you did learn, did you get to know each other from training?
I guess I could go into some of that. He's really a gentleman. So when I was first there, he took me on a little tour of the facility and kind of talked about some of the things they were doing in the gym. And then he allowed me in every meeting that they ever had as a staff and as a team and then obviously there were a lot of tactical discussions. Often I was a fly on the wall and would have some discussions later with him about things. Zsolt Low was also a part of that staff. So that was his assistant who's now Tuchel's assistant at Chelsea. And the relationship that Ralph and Zsolt had was was really, really good, and that was fun to watch. One day he had the whole staff over at his house for a dinner and he invited me at that time and he played piano for us. He's a really good piano player. Like I said to you guys, he's a he's a he's a really He's a gentleman, like through and through. He is a gentleman.
