Empathy, openness and brave football saw Jesse Marsch overcome ‘No to Marsch’ banners the last time he walked into a football club with a doubting fan base.
Leeds United appointed the American as their new head coach on Monday and he walks into a city which is mourning the loss of legendary boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Marsch himself has admitted there will be some sections of the fan base he has to win over with results on the field, but he has experience of making it work in the past.
When Marsch was appointed Red Bull Salzburg boss in 2019, he found many of the locals were not keen on his past as an RB Leipzig coach under Ralf Rangnick.
Michael Unverdorben, sports editor at newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten, told LeedsLive about Marsch’s tenure in Austria.
Speaking about the fans, he said: “At first, they were disappointed, there were also No to Marsch banners because he came from Leipzig and Salzburg was not exactly enthusiastic about the Red Bull brotherhood.
“Fans from Salzburg see them as a rival, but he quickly got the fans involved with his style and his football.”
Marsch’s likely approach with the players is also raising intrigue at Elland Road, where Bielsa was well-known for his professional distance from his squad.
Unverdorben praised Marsch’s openness and said his empathy with players quickly brought the squad together, resulting in success on the pitch, but a tactical set-up which could leak goals.
“He was certainly the most empathetic coach Salzburg ever had,” he said. “A very nice man, who, through his American open style, quickly found many friends.
“Athletically, his fortune is that he won the double (championship and cup) twice with very brave football.
“Only shortcoming: Salzburg also got (conceded) a lot of goals, so in the Champions League they stopped in the group stage.”
Marsch’s personal and friend-like approach with his players is similar to the way Jurgen Klopp behaves with his players at Liverpool, the Austrian journalist said.
“He has a very close, almost friendly relationship because he always sees the people and then the player after,” he said.
“Here he is very similar to Jurgen Klopp.”
Erling Haaland and Brenden Aaronson are former and current Salzburg players with links to Leeds and Marsch too.
Unverdorben said the former flourished under the American, but it was a rise which would have happened under any coach, such was his talent.
“Under him, Haaland's star rose. He pushed him, but quite honestly Haaland did not need anyone because he was a volcano (very talented),” he said.
Aaronson’s decision to initially move to Salzburg was helped by the sight of an American face in Marsch’s, Unverdorben said.
“He was on good terms with all the players, but of course, the contact with Aaronson was a little closer because they both come from the USA,” he said.
