Marsch’s ‘Stoke’ moment
It may have come in Jesse Marsch’s 15th competitive fixture as Leeds United head coach rather than his first, but the manner of Sunday’s win bore the hallmarks of Marcelo Bielsa’s Stoke City opener in 2018. They were similarly sun-kissed August afternoons at Elland Road and each match left many walking away with their mouths gaping.
Much in the way Bielsa’s 3-1 education of Gary Rowett left you in awe at what you were seeing, Marsch’s dismantling of Chelsea was finally the first time it felt like it really clicked under him. At long last, after all of the doubting and worrying about the system, the players and the head coach, we got to see the American’s vision on the field.
Not only did the penny drop on how his tactics worked, but the effectiveness of his philosophy at full tilt will encourage fans about where this season could be heading. This wasn’t just a half-decent, narrow victory over some lower mid-table fodder, this was a three-goal procession which trampled all over a team that won the Champions League 15 months ago.
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The American spoke a little after the match about acceptance and whether, as 33,000 Leeds fans sang with unbridled joy about his team, he finally felt like he had arrived at Elland Road. Yes, Marsch actually signed on nearly six months ago, but until yesterday the spectre of Bielsa has hung over Marsch, the notion it’s the Argentine’s team trying to play in an alien way.
Marsch stepped out of Bielsa’s shadows on Sunday and lay what felt like the first brick in the legacy he will look to build of his own in West Yorkshire. He said: “There's probably still a lot of doubts in me [from the fans].
“No, it's okay. It's okay. It's normal. There's going to be people that like me, there's going to be people that hate me.
“I just want the team to play with love and passion and belief. I've tried not to be pandering. I've tried to be appreciative of what the club is. I've tried to adapt to what the club is.
“I said after we lost to Aston Villa, that first match, I sat here and I said, ‘Listen, I learned tonight, what it means to be here at Elland Road and I have to make sure we build match plans and make sure we include exactly what it means to play here’. We've done that with the players we've added in the summer, but now it's coming together in a lot of different ways.
“This league will keep you honest every week so we can't feel too good about ourselves. We should feel positive momentum and belief, but we've got to keep pushing and keep being hungry.”
Brighton & Hove Albion, also on seven points from three matches, await this weekend and will quickly provide a stern reminder of what the Premier League is all about. However, belief and confidence go a long way in the psychology of winning matches and building momentum.
Fans and players alike now have that perfect example of what Marsch’s system is, why it works and why there should be faith this squad is evolving and can go into any game and win.
A Premier League bench
It is but a footnote in the grand scheme of a day like Sunday, but the understated moment Marsch, fresh from a third goal, turned to a £21m winger billed as the club’s Raphinha replacement from the bench was quite the eye-opener. It’s the kind of move established Premier League clubs make and a firm illustration of the strength in depth Leeds may finally have.
Luis Sinisterra is a talent we are expecting to eventually play his way into the strongest XI at Elland Road, but against Chelsea he was the option Marsch was able to turn to with the game already won. Last season was punctuated with young benches lacking the firepower to worry Premier League opposition, but Sunday brought no such concerns.
Adam Forshaw was introduced on the hour mark in a nod, perhaps, to the oversights in Southampton. Ironically, Leeds weren’t even in any bother when the change came, but Marsch was able to pre-empt any drop in midfield intensity by making the switch.
After Sinisterra came the late triple-change. Marsch had the luxury of resting legs against top-four opposition and was able to utilise the strengths of former regular Mateusz Klich and the prodigious Joe Gelhardt.
After two seasons of watching the opposition turn games from the bench with expensive talent, Leeds finally felt like they had that kind of firepower waiting in the wings. Luke Ayling, Junior Firpo, Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford and Stuart Dallas. Don’t forget those five minor details either.
Rodrigo keeps the car running
Four goals in three games. We are all waiting for Rodrigo to revert to the mean level he has shown in two lacklustre years, but he just keeps the show on the road week by week.
Another header, but from a free-kick this time. It was a lovely delivery by Jack Harrison, but an excellent nod from the Spain international in a game which only demonstrated how much confidence Rodrigo has at the moment.
His five attempts on goal were more than anyone else in the Leeds side. He kept finding his way into shooting positions and wants to have a pop, even from difficult angles or distances. He’s backing himself at the moment.
The armband decision was justified too. Rodrigo led from the front, appealed for decisions, directly engaged the fans during the match and ran himself into the ground.
The striker conversation is not going to go away, especially when the head coach is acknowledging it would be better if they did add someone than not. However, Rodrigo is doing his damnedest to show he can fit the bill and if the right target does not become available, as Angus Kinnear fears, then Spain’s number nine can keep on at this rate.
The defence shows up
A first clean sheet in nine competitive matches under Marsch. The performance deserved it too. Everyone in the team played their part in what was virtually a complete display from Leeds.
Illan Meslier made the saves he had to when he was called upon and made them with a minimal amount of fuss. Rasmus Kristensen needed a steadier display on Sunday and, despite a shaky opening 45 seconds, recovered to the point where he had his body in the right place at the right time to consistently disrupt Chelsea.
Robin Koch and Diego Llorente were formidable with arguably their best displays in Leeds colours. Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount got next to no change out of the centre-backs, who were quietly dominant in virtually every duel they contested.
Even Pascal Struijk, the supposed weak point of the defence as an out-of-position centre-half, was excellent. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was taken out of the game and the visitors lost any kind of momentum they wanted to build down that flank.
“It’s a goal of ours,” said Marsch. “We only had four [clean sheets] last year in total, so we've talked a lot, we've created a team goal about clean sheets and giving up fewer goals.
“Pascal, in this position we're playing him, you say left-back, left centre-back, it's a little bit of a hybrid position, has adapted incredibly well. You see Robin and Diego playing also as good as they've played in their careers, and then Rasmus Kristensen.
“All the new guys have come in and Marc Roca has been incredible. So we've made good additions.
“The team has welcomed them and continues to adapt to what we want and it means we should have hunger to continue to grow and get better and we know there's a lot of potential.”
Elland Road finally has something to love
You could argue that’s the best Leeds United’s fans have felt at home since Luke Ayling’s screamer against Huddersfield Town nearly two and a half years ago. Save for a few last-gasp goals in 21/22, that was a wretched campaign home and away.
Then 20/21’s highs were missed in their entirety, save for the final day West Bromwich Albion win. That takes you back to the win over the Terriers before Covid shut down the Championship-winning season.
That’s a hell of a long time for a fan base waiting to feel as good as they did on Sunday. It may only be one game and the story of the coming season will overrule however pleasant that Chelsea win was, but in that two hours between 2pm and 4pm it really was up there, as a spectacle, with the best football seen under Bielsa.
That’s a top-four club, 2021’s Champions League winners, comprehensively dismantled for 90 minutes. That takes some doing, but at long last, Leeds fans can really feel the highs of top-flight football back in their home parish.
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