When Jesse Marsch succeeded Marcelo Bielsa as manager of Leeds United, Jack Harrison appeared to be a player who could find himself down the pecking order of the first-team. That's because Marsch favours narrow formations and - despite playing a few games as an emergency striker - Harrison's profile most suits playing as a classic winger.
Under Bielsa, the former Manchester City man stayed wide on the left and was at his best when he could swing crosses in for Patrick Bamford to attack. This saw him pick up eight assists in the Premier League last season, whilst he also weighed in with eight goals of his own.
As expected, on Marsch's arrival, he immediately shifted the team towards his favoured 4-2-2-2 formation. This utilises two players behind the strikers who operate almost as 'half-wingers', where their starting position is in between that of a winger and a central attacking midfielder.
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However, rather than Harrison struggling in the position, he has impressed so far and shown that he is more than a one-dimensional winger. Rather than struggling for game-time, he has played 269 minutes of the available 360 thus far, with Marsch appearing to trust him in the role.
The American was rewarded by an excellent performance from Harrison in the second half at Molineux last Friday night. He played a key role in Leeds' comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Leeds' number 22 scored the first goal on the night but more than that, he helped to stretch the ten men of Wolves as his role subtly changed. He still started in a narrow position when receiving the ball but he ran wide often to shift the opposition defence around and create space for his teammates.
In previous games under Marsch, Harrison showed that he can create from his more narrow position, picking up the ball in central areas and quickly playing passes through, such as one for Dan James which the Welshman narrowly fired wide early one against Leicester in Leeds' new manager's first game. As well as that, his excellent first-touch has served him well in the more congested areas as he is able to keep the ball close to him and use his quick feet to beat players. This was shown to great effect as he weaved through three Norwich defenders to win a free-kick on the edge of the box from which Raphinha hit the bar in the recent 2-1 win over the Canaries.
Harrison recently spoke about this shift in role and revealed that it's one that returns him to a position he played in his younger days. Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, he said:
"I grew up playing in a more central role as a number 10, so bringing back some old memories from when I was a kid is nice. I really enjoy playing in that system and I’m hoping to see a more improved Jack Harrison, score more goals and have more impact on games. But at the same time, continue that work ethic and determination defensively to get the job done."
When Marsch spoke about Harrison in a press-conference recently, he called the former MLS star 'explosive' and noted his strong one-on-one ability. However, he noted that he could improve in some areas in the final third as he said, "I just think it's being more decisive and clear as to what the last actions can be."
That will ultimately be the area of Harrison's game which will decide whether he kicks on from his encouraging start under Marsch. If he can quickly make the right decision in the final third more often, then his goals and assists figures will see positive returns. Whilst that's not all Harrison's game is about, he knows that those headline figures are how he will ultimately be judged as an attacking player and if he can add that ruthlessness in the final third to his game, he could make himself vital under the new regime.
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