Mark Jackson has already had a huge impact on Leeds United’s first-team, according to head coach Jesse Marsch. Jackson initially made the move into the senior set-up last season, leaving his under-23s head coach role behind to help out the American upon his arrival at Elland Road in February.
However, he took up a permanent first-team coaching position over the summer and after spending the summer working with the squad, Marsch believes Jackson’s influence is clear to see. The head coach has handed Leeds’ set-pieces responsibility over to Jackson and he’s delighted with the progress he has seen in both defence and attack.
The Whites’ second goal against Southampton over the weekend came from a corner with Pascal Struijk’s header giving Rodrigo the chance to head home. Leeds also spurned a golden opportunity to score from a corner in the first-half as Rasmus Kristensen fluffed his lines at the back post.
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At the other end, United have managed to hold their own under set-piece pressure in both their Premier League outings so far, with the three goals they have conceded coming from open play. Leeds struggled to impress in dead ball situations last season and Marsch is keen to see strides made this year.
“Yes, we are,” Marsch said when asked about whether the club were targeting improvements in set-piece situations. “I would say we are stable defensively and we are dangerous offensively. So we've put a lot of energy into it.
“I've switched Mark Jackson to be a set-piece coach among other things, but he's put a lot of work into the organisation of what we're doing. He's invested in the guys, the guys have invested in him in that role, and I think you see the rewards for that.
“So yeah, I felt like almost every set-piece situation that we could have found a goal so that will be important for us for sure.”
Marsch will hope to see more set-piece success this weekend when the Whites face Chelsea, who conceded from a corner in stoppage time last time out against Tottenham Hotspur. However, they also scored from a set-piece situation as Kalidou Koulibaly volleyed home a corner at Stamford Bridge.
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