Jesse Marsch met with the media this afternoon ahead of Leeds United's trip to Southampton this weekend.
Here's every word he said.
I just want to start on the injury front like normal. We’ve had a lot more guys in training this week. So, Adam, Liam and Luis have all in their training and are eligible for the weekend. Still, Junior’s probably a couple of weeks behind. The same with Luke Ayling, although he had a visit to his surgeon down in London, and the surgeon said that he's ahead of schedule and looking really good and he just needs a little bit more time.
Then Stuart Dallas, I saw on the pitch today, moving around a little bit. So that was an exciting moment for us and then Dani van den Heuvel is still working on his neck but looking positive as well. So we've got more options this week, which is what we felt would be the case last week.
Read more: Michael Skubala delivers Leeds United U21 verdict and Jesse Marsch praise
The situation with Luis, that’s really good news…
So when he picked up the hamstring injury, it was from a contact, which is not the same as when it's from a non-contact and then what the recovery is like can be different as well.
So we've been cautious with them, but he's felt so good that we introduced him in a training and then he was like a neutral player one day and then yesterday, he was all in and he looks fantastic. So he's obviously not 100 per cent fit, but I still think there's a good possibility that that he can help us with limited minutes.
So the decision to change things around is that a big one in your mind or is it not a headache for you?
First of all clearly our focus is on this match and how important it is and staying in the moment is always really important. But even watching now the draw last night and knowing that in two weeks we have five matches in two weeks that we have to have a full roster squad available of guys that can that can be ready to perform it at every moment. That will be important.
So we purposely have tried to build more depth into our squad for moments like this, and I always get excited when guys get opportunities because everyone here works really hard and everyone deserves chances and it's just about finding the right moment.
What about Southampton? Not a great result obviously for them or performance last time out. This game last year was particularly poor performance and there's been no relevance to you, Jesse, but one of the players we spoke to, Diego Llorente, he said we don't want to do what we did last time…
For us in general. I don't think we've changed too much on the week. We went through the game against Wolves and we talked about the things that we thought we could have done better and how it applies to what Southampton will be. We're not overly satisfied with just the three points in the first match.
Obviously it was a good first step but we know we have a lot of work to do and I think the mentality of the group to improve get better and seize every moment is definitely there. For me personally I know that going down to Southampton won't be easy, that it's going to be very hot and that will be a factor in the match and so we have to manage that well.
We have to know that, for a club like us where we are right now, every game in this league is a massive challenge and we have to treat it as such. So we're not getting ahead of ourselves and we know how important each match is and certainly in the moment now this match, if we can find a way to come away with something out of Southampton that'll help us keep momentum moving in the right direction.
You mentioned the weather. How's it limited training or how's it affected training for you?
One thing about football in the US or sport in the US in the summer is it's hot. It's always hot, it's blistering and so there are things that I've learned about how to handle fatigue, heat and managing matches that way.
When I was in New York the discussion was always ‘well can you play pressing football in the heat in the summer’, and actually our record during matches that was over 90 degrees or 85, which is like 30 degrees, was really strong. So, it's about being aggressive in the right moments.
It'll be about managing mentally what the fatigue will be and then making sure that the players that we bring off the bench will be ready to go. So this I think is a moment where five subs, if we use them the right way, can be really impactful and helpful into the match.
The 49ers were there in force last weekend, have you had much discussion with them? And what's your opinion on what's happened this summer and how things are?
I would say Andrea and Paraag had a really good talk with the team last week Friday. Always when it comes to the way I think about ownership, I always like having the energy of the owners around the team because I think when they see the passion of the owners, they realise that they're not just investors, but they're teammates.
I think that that's definitely the case with Andrea and when the 49ers come and so I think they're really good people. I think they're really supportive of Andrea and they have a really good relationship with him. And there's real symmetry to how we do everything they are not as much a part of the daily routine of what we're doing here.
As a team and as a club but when they come for sure they're still a big part of our family. So yeah, that's how I would describe that.
Brenden Aaronson made a fantastic start, is he still claiming the goal and how’s he been this week?
He’s claiming the goal, yes. If you look at it, I do think it hits him in the leg. So I don't know if they want to change it or whatever.
I think Brenden showed his qualities and in a similar way that he showed them all pre-season. Speaking to all the new players who hadn't played in a Premier League match yet, they all acknowledged the fact that the level is very high, and the demands are very high, but they all enjoyed the challenge. Brenden, I think, is one of those.
Physically managing the game, the pace of the game that demands tactically being sharp and clear and committing to the match always is and will continue to be a challenge in the games in this league. But all four of those guys, including Brenden, and I've already spoken about what a good learner he is, and how adaptable he is, I think all four guys are going to get better and better. That's the goal for the entire group and the team.
It's your first taste of a transfer window here in England in the Premier League, it it different from abroad?
Everything here, the media attention is 10 times what it is at most places, which lets you know it's important here.
For me, it's about just having a plan and then having and working with the people in the club and the ownership to execute the plan. I'm thankful that Andrea has supported our ideas so heavily and I think that also the discussions, the challenging of each other, the finding a way to come to exactly what we agree what the plan is, and then executing the plan has been at the highest level that I've been a part of.
So I'm very again thankful, because one thing, I don't like is when they say my transfers, right? They’re our transfers. We work through this together and I know it seems like their mine because some of the players have played for me before, but please don't print that. Print that it’s the Leeds United transfers and it's the leadership of Leeds United that are making these decisions.
I think that in that case why I think it's important is because every transfer every player has varying success, some come in and have a really start really well and continue, some take a little bit more time. It's really important that in the process that there's no one person that's responsible for any success or failure based on anything that might happen and that we give every player in every decision a chance to thrive and succeed the best that they can.
So you have to be a team player in this business and I've appreciated the fact that you're working with Andrea, working with Victor and with Angus that that that we are really close and really aligned with a lot of things.
Will there be more before the window closes?
I would say this, we're always actively thinking. We've done a really good job of acting early, and then giving these players the best chance to integrate as smoothly and quickly as possible. It now puts us in a position where as we're starting our season and evaluating our performances, we can look more carefully at exactly what we might need moving forward.
I think that we are being very aggressive in evaluating what's out there and again, I said this after the match, really trying to find the right fit more than just adding a position or a number or a player, really trying to make sure that every decision we make is the right decision.
How much difference does it make getting that first three points on the board in the first game in terms of going forward and what would it be like to get food to get six already out to games in terms of a platform to launch from?
Well the three points was really important for the guys to feel the positive momentum and energy and be validated for the work. It also, for me, allows us to be a little bit more critical and to really make sure that we're looking at what things were good what things were we need to improve on, which we tried to do and then to see if we can apply that at a high level again, get at Southampton and the goal will be to just even regardless of results try to move ourselves forward and every moment and every match and every week.
I think we did that well in pre-season. I think Wolves was a much better representation of where we're trying to move our team in terms of tactically and style of play and everything but there's still so much work to be done
Dan James is available this weekend, how much of a boost is that?
Dan played 90 minutes in the 21s game against Derby, and I thought he thought he played well. So he's fit, he's strong. he's ready to go. I think it'll be a big option for us to have him come from the bench. So that's a guy that's 100 per cent ready.
I think that's the role that we'll use them in for this weekend and then Dan will continue to integrate and we'll find moments for him to be also on the pitch from the start because he's a really important player for us. He has a lot of flexibility and quality and so yeah, excited to integrate Dan more and more and we tried to get the balance right in pre-season where he was with the first team in some matches, but also to give opportunities for other guys to work toward being prepared for the first match but now you know I think Dan's ready.
It’s quite surprising to hear that Stuart Dallas is out on the pitch and moving about. So we don’t get carried away, can you give us some context as to what that means?
I think it's much too early to start talking about the prognosis and a timetable for Stuart but any of you who know Stuart know that his energy and his positivity and his personality is so amazing.
The way that he applies that even to this situation, you see him suffering when he's got the electrodes on his legs, cranking it as absolutely high as he can and he only knows how to go 1,000 per cent. So I think he's learning a little bit how to manage this because an injury like that can go up and down.
He's been a big presence in the team. He's here every day and he wants to be around the team as much as possible. He still has such a positive impact on the on the group. So yeah I think because of all those personality traits, that gives him a really good chance to come back as good as ever. So that's what we're all pushing and hoping for.
Mateo Joseph grabbed a lot of headlines for the under-21s, can you can you give us more information his progression?
I think Mateo has developed a lot since I've been here. He understands pressing and he understands how to play with intensity. He also has quality and goal scoring knack. So I think because of his intelligence because of his quality, and because of his adaptation, he has potential to be a really important player here. The four-goal match obviously is a big statement.
I think the 21s are built to have a good season and I think Skubs is doing a really good job with them, that's what we call Michael Skubala so that everyone knows that’s Skubs, He's done a good job already.
I think he's been eager to learn from what we're trying to achieve here and I think the work and the symmetry of us and what we've done together has we've had a really good start. Yeah.
Do you see any areas of the team or the squad that you think are light as it stands?
Obviously we've said a long time that we've been evaluating for the right striker, but Patrick being fully fit obviously helps us in that area. We also have some flexibility with Rodri who can play there and Dan can play there at times.
I think that we know that we have to add. With Mateo who we just spoke about, with Sonny Perkins, we have some young striker and obviously Joffy, but Joffy I considered part of the first group.
We have some good young strikers so a lot of it is also trying to look at from a profile what age do we want and that we don't want to suffocate some of the young players having opportunities moving forward in the next one to three years. So it's trying to find the right age profile and the right player profile and most importantly the right person to come into the team.
A striker, that's not so easy. That's not so easy. The way that I like to play the game we ask a lot from the strikers to work hard to press to it's a very demanding position in the way that I like to play. So we're trying to find the right one.
You’ve brought Joel Robles in, why did you go for Joel and what will that mean for Kris Klaesson?
Yeah, I think the role for Joel is to really help support Illan and Kris but to compete with them and to push them every day. Obviously, our belief in Illan is at the highest level and even I think with the performance that he had against Wolves, it says everything.
I think he's grown a lot and since I've been here, I've challenged him to become more of a leader more of a vocal presence and he's responding really well to that. I think a guy with experience like Joel can help him, that relationship will be important, then the goal is to have Kris as the number two but he has to earn it.
In this situation, I think it's healthy competition. I think Joel, we've seen he is a quality goalkeeper, but more importantly a very good person. He's here for all the right reasons, which was really important to us and I've been very open with him, with the other two goalkeepers and with the entire team, that Joel is here not just to support them, but to push them, but to do it in a way where the goalkeeper group along with Marcos is really strong and really united. So far I think that they've done that at a really high level.
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