Just 50 days stand between Leeds United and a third consecutive Premier League campaign. The Estrella Damm on Brentford’s away dressing room floor is barely dry, but the new season will soon be upon us.
Just 27 days away, the clash with Brisbane Roar in Australia awaits and, currently, the next scheduled fixture for the Whites. That three-match tour Down Under will be a major part of Jesse Marsch’s pre-season preparations for a first full term at the helm.
That will be time away from the stresses and strains of everyday life for the players and staff under Marsch’s watch. The trip will give everyone at United space to socialise, strategise and hone the American’s tactical philosophy.
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On a micro level, it is an important period for the players too. Some more than others. While the entire group will benefit from that time away under the head coach, it’s also going to be an opportunity for some to either lay the groundwork for 22/23 or simply prove Marsch can rely on them.
One of the cruellest, and yet entirely fitting, twists of the season came right at the end when Patrick Bamford, finally pain-free, was left bed-ridden by Covid on the eve of the relegation decider at Brentford. The England international’s season would end with just nine appearances out of 38.
A wretched season robbed Bamford of the momentum he built with 17 top-flight goals in 20/21 and an England debut last autumn. There were just 100 minutes on the pitch under Marsch in the home stretch too.
The 45 minutes we saw from Bamford in the win over Norwich City offered a pleasant reminder of what he can do as the focal point in attack at Elland Road. Finally, with injury behind him, the pre-season trip to Australia will give him that foundation to build ahead of a new campaign.
Bamford needs minutes and he needs time on the field to learn Marsch’s system as he looks to lead the line for a full season again. That’s before you throw in the prospect of a new striker arriving at Elland Road too.
Junior Firpo had a largely difficult first season in the Premier League with the Whites, but there were, after some very low points earlier in 21/22, some chinks of light during the run-in. The left-back is virtually unchallenged in that role while Stuart Dallas recuperates and Pascal Struijk chisels away at his centre-back future.
There has been little speculation around left-back in these early knockings of the transfer window at Leeds, but Victor Orta and Marsch must surely be weighing how light they may be going into the new term. After 11 yellow cards and three sizeable absences from the squad, Firpo’s record does not scream 38 uninterrupted starts for 22/23.
Either way, competition for places, we know, is what fuels performance at the highest level. Pre-season is a critical period for Firpo to demonstrate the steps forward he can take under Marsch in this system, and reassure the club’s hierarchy he is the man they need on that left flank going into August 6.
Tyler Roberts was robbed of any time to shine under Marsch. Within a few minutes of coming on in the American’s first match at Leicester City, he ruptured a hamstring tendon.
The Wales international had been ruled out for the rest of the season, but miraculously found his way back into the matchday squad on the final day in Hounslow. He now goes into a decisive pre-season at Elland Road.
Roberts signed a new three-year deal with the Whites just 12 months ago so he still has the security of two more seasons to turn heads with Leeds. While there have been some high moments since his arrival from West Bromwich Albion, Roberts has never put together a consistently good enough run of performances to justify regular starts.
The forward is still just 23 and has time on his side, but this will be a critical close season for him to show a new head coach what he is capable of. Last season showed Leeds never had enough match-changers from the bench.
Roberts needs to show Marsch he is someone who can be used to turn games at the highest level with the Whites. Jamie Shackleton may find himself in a similar predicament.
The Thorp Arch academy product was the first of the under-23 stock to be blooded by Marcelo Bielsa back in 2018 and he has remained a favourite since then. However, injuries have not been kind to Shackleton and he has never been able to generate momentum in the side.
There were seven starts among his 14 Premier League appearances last season and he knows, at 22, with two years left on his deal, he may have to start looking at where he sees his long-term future. Shackleton needs to be playing regularly and this summer has to be a big opportunity for him to prove his worth.
Luke Ayling is likely to miss the opening weeks of the season, Stuart Dallas is expected to be out until 2023, while Cody Drameh is unlikely to see a clear route to starts with Rasmus Kristensen in the building. Shackleton looks likely to be the de facto competition for the Dane at right-back.
