Leeds United's most consequential decision this season has undoubtedly been the call to replace revered manager Marcelo Bielsa with head coach Jesse Marsch. Marsch has secured one win from his opening three matches but there is hope victory over Norwich City last weekend can serve as a platform for games to come.
Bielsa's late February departure saw several behind-the-scenes members of staff also exit Elland Road. This has left Marsch with a skeleton crew of coaches and analysts at his disposal, with the likes of lead development coach Mark Jackson promoted from the U23 setup to first-team matters.
The American is unfazed by this and so far feels as though Leeds have coped: "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."
"We will add to the staff eventually. Right now it's a little bit of just trying to get the rhythm with everybody we have here," Marsch added. Alongside Marsch in the dugout at Elland Road is his trusted assistant Franz Schiemer and experienced coach Cameron Toshack. Schiemer is a former player himself, but understands Marsch's philosophy having worked under the 48-year-old for two years at FC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.
In Die Roten Bullen documentary «Jeder Mann», Schiemer is depicted as Marsch's right-hand man and enforcer; an extension of the head coach and able to translate Marsch's ideas in his native tongue. At Leeds, Schiemer conducts a similar role, leading sessions with the first-team squad.
Known colloquially as 'Frankie', Schiemer is a trusted confidante of the new coaching regime: "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," Marsch said.
Son of former Real Madrid and Wales boss John Toshack, Cameron has been credited for his organisational capabilities by Marsch: "Cameron has been very good organisationally and helping us understand the league and the different nuances of planning and organising and all that."
Marsch's relationship with Toshack is understood to have been developed during the Welshman's time at Swansea City where he coached the U23 side to Premier League Cup and Premier League 2 success. Toshack was in charge of the youngsters at the Liberty Stadium during Bob Bradley's brief tenure, meanwhile Marsch was Bradley's assistant coach at the 2010 World Cup with the United States.
"Jacko [Mark Jackson] 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," Marsch finished.
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