Relegation pressure is playing its part in the aggression seen from Leeds United players which has delivered two red cards in two matches. Jesse Marsch is without Luke Ayling and Daniel James for 21/22’s endgame after reckless tackles.
Add those suspensions to the injuries or doubts around Adam Forshaw, Patrick Bamford, Raphinha, Tyler Roberts, Stuart Dallas, Jack Harrison, Crysencio Summerville and Leeds are lacking options. Ayling and James each flew into tackles without control at a time when their side was against the ropes.
Marsch has asked for aggression and tenacity from his players since he first arrived and James has been among those to put big challenges in since the American’s arrival. The 24-year-old had four straight yellow cards under Marcelo Bielsa through January and February with another three since Marsch came in.
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The head coach acknowledged the league table is affecting everything inside the club right now because of its importance. While he wants to see aggression from his team, he does not want them to cross the line.
“The situation of the table has something to do with it, it has everything to do with our situation right now,” he said. “We want to be aggressive, but certainly not cross the line.”
Dallas’s injury was suffered after he went in hard on Jack Grealish in the clash with Manchester City at Elland Road. Marsch was asked, on Wednesday night, about the sequence of three big tackles and three senior players lost in succession.
“It’s a little unfair, I think, to classify Stuart’s in the same category, but we have to be aggressive against the ball,” he said. “We have to try to win balls and sometimes we have now been a little too aggressive in certain situations and that has cost us.”
