Under Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds United operated with a man-to-man marking system both from open play and set-pieces. It was a particularly notable feature that players would get extremely tight to their opponents when defending corners and free-kicks, which was often the reason why Leeds were among the worst in the Premier League at stopping them from going in.
Jesse Marsch, though, has adopted a different style to defending them since his arrival, with some players marking man for man, and others zonally. The players making zonally are often the side’s strongest and tallest, as it allows them the time and space to pick out the flight of the ball and attack it.
The likes of Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk and Charlie Creswell have been the ones occupying those positions so far, and it has certainly borne fruit. Leeds have had to deal with 14 corners since Marsch’s arrival at the club but are yet to concede from a single one – highlighting a drastic improvement in such a short space of time.
