Marsch appointed new Leeds boss | ‘We have to stay calm’

Jesse Marsch has been appointed as the new manager of Leeds United on a three-and-a-half-year deal after the departure of Marcelo Bielsa on Sunday.

The Argentine was dismissed following a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham, leaving Leeds 16th in the Premier League table and two points from the relegation places.

Marsch – who has previously coached at New York Red Bulls and RB Salzburg – has signed a contract until June 2025 and will be tasked with turning around the club’s recent form, having not won in six league outings and taking just one point.

The 48-year-old American started the season as coach at RB Leipzig, replacing Bayern-bound Julian Nagelsmann.

However, Marsch and the club mutually parted ways at the start of December, with a 6-3 thrashing by Manchester City in their opening Champions League game contributing to his departure.

Speaking about the appointment, Leeds United Director of Football Victor Orta said: “We are delighted to welcome Jesse to the club and excited for him to lead us into this new chapter.

“Jesse is someone we identified a number of years ago during his time at Red Bull Salzburg and we believe his philosophy and style of football aligns with that of the club and will suit the players very well.

“We have a long-term plan and firmly believe he can take Leeds United to the next level and are excited for what the future holds.”

Chief Executive Angus Kinnear added: “We are really pleased to have quickly secured the services of our first-choice head coach.

“Whilst the short-term objective for Jesse is obvious, we believe he has the courage and ambition to build on the strong foundations we have created over the last four years and elevate the performance of the club over the long-term.

“He had a great deal of success with New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Salzburg and has demonstrated during our many meetings that he is a great fit with the footballing culture of Leeds United.

“At this challenging time, it is important that the club remains united from top to bottom. The fans have been amazing throughout Andrea’s tenure and we have no doubt they will unite behind Jesse and ensure the team quickly returns to winning with style.”

Marsch’s first game in charge will be a trip to Leicester on Saturday in the Premier League; kick-off 12.30pm.

What went wrong for Bielsa?

Sky Sports Adam Smith:

Leeds were just three points shy from the top half of the Premier League table following a 2-2 draw with Brentford back on December 5. Patrick Bamford came on as a substitute in that game to score a dramatic 95th-minute leveller – his only cameo this season since suffering his first of two major injuries in mid-September.

To compound matters, the remaining spine of the team has been sidelined since, too, in Kalvin Phillips and club captain Liam Cooper. Those injuries preceded a torrid run of fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal in the space of seven days – all ended in defeat.

Despite a brief run of form running into the new year, which produced a draw with Aston Villa and wins over Burnley and West Ham, five defeats from six games since prompted the board to end Bielsa’s four-year reign.

The Argentine refused to blame his missing trio after the humiliating 6-0 defeat at Liverpool, but the stats provide ample evidence their absence has been sorely missed.

Leeds now sit merely two points clear of the drop zone, while the two teams below them – Everton and Burnley – have two games in hand.

So what exactly went wrong for Bielsa and were the injuries an instrumental factor?

Phillips and Cooper have now missed more than half of the season so far, while Leeds have shipped almost three times as many goals without the pair in the side, the win rate has halved, as has their points-per-game averages. Meanwhile, the absence of a direct replacement for Bamford was underlined by a host of spurned chances against Tottenham.

As the graphic below shows, Leeds became far less watertight following the key injuries. While the initial spike in goals conceded could be understandable, based on opposition, the latest spike has few excuses and reveals Leeds are now shipping an average of four goals per game, based on a rolling five-game average.

In addition, Leeds’ renown high press appears to have weakened significantly since Phillips was sidelined, with opponents finding it far easier to play through them when building from the back and in central midfield.

The high press had been one facet of the fear factor for opponents facing Leeds, which included the intensity and gung-ho style – fuelled by league-topping numbers for sprints and distance covered.

While the sprinting has remained, the overall running distances have dipped: Leeds outran opponents in 13 out of 15 games before Phillips and Cooper suffered injuries – but have only achieved that feat in four out of 11 games since.

In addition, average positions suggest Leeds’ midfielders have dropped deeper to cover an area Phillips patrolled single-handedly, while the lone forward has advanced even farther upfield – increasing space for opponents in the centre of the park.

Bielsa could have easily used his missing trio as a mitigating factor during this torrid run of results and few would have contested. However, his mantra of maintaining a gung-ho approach with depleted resources against superior teams was widely contested and ultimately, costly.