Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has compared his handling of his players with fictional TV football coach Ted Lasso.
When the Whites hired Marsch back in February, comparisons were made between the two 'coaches'.
Given Lasso, played by Jason Sudekis, is hired as a coach of the fictional Premier League side AFC Richmond without having coached a single minute of professional football, some of those comparisons were incredibly disrespectful to Marsch.
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Marsch has certainly earned his stripes over the years following spells with Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig and was a more than worthy candidate to be named Leeds boss.
But while they share relatively little in the way of understanding football, they do share one similarity. Namely the way they treat their players when it comes to trying to better them as individuals.
And speaking in an interview recently with Sky Sports, the Leeds head coach explained why he believes it to be vital that he builds up a relationship with his players, similar to how Lasso does with his AFC Richmond squad.
"I just believe that people feel more valued if you show that you care," Marsch said.
"About them as people, about them as players, if you want them to be successful, if you try to help and to give them information to make them better, I find that they are drawn to that. It’s a magnetic attraction. They know I’m genuine and they know I care and that’s the truth.
"But it’s also to try and maximise their potential as people, as young men, as husbands, as fathers, as sons. I find that if we can encourage goodness, then the football part becomes relatively easy to adjust as well.
"I say sometimes these things sound like Ted Lasso, but I guess you could think about it that way. I think everyone in this building who has the chance to do this for a living, you are living your dream."
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