Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch has never hidden away from shouldering responsibility for his team’s performances.
Upon his arrival, Marsch acknowledged the final 12 games of last season would be a patch-up job, cobbling together enough points to remain in the division before instilling philosophies and practices more closely over the summer.
It is now a month since the first batch of Leeds players returned to pre-season and after two wins, one draw and one defeat in pre-season, squad upheaval and new appointments to the backroom team, the first game of the new Premier League campaign is on the horizon.
But, Leeds aren’t ready, insists Marsch. However, he does not view that as a slight towards his preparation throughout pre-season, it is merely the ‘reality’ of the situation, he says.
"I don't know how many years I've been a manager now, but I've literally never come out of pre-season and gone into the season feeling like we're ready. It's just the reality. It's an ongoing process.
"From day one, the work and the concentration from this group of players has always allowed us to, day-by-day maximise what we're trying to become.
"I still know there's so much work to do. But again, I feel that we're going to have a good team this season,” he added following United’s penultimate pre-season fixture.
Next up is a home friendly against Cagliari this weekend who were relegated from Italy’s top flight last season.
Marsch will hope to avoid repeating some of the same mistakes his team have fallen foul of throughout their warm-up games so far – namely defending counter-attacks.
1. Jesse Marsch must find a way to make his Leeds United side more resilient at defending on the break (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
Jesse Marsch must find a way to make his Leeds United side more resilient at defending on the break (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images) Photo: Matthew Ashton - AMA
2. Full-backs behind the play
Leeds' full-backs are situated in front of the ball as Jack Harrison is robbed of possession. More importantly, four Palace players are positioned in central areas, ready to converge on Leeds' two defensive midfielders and two central defenders creating a 4-on-4 scenario. The develops 60 yards away and ends with Odsonne Edouard scuffing his bicycle kick inside the six-yard box. (Pic: InStat) Photo: InStat
3. Behind the play
Again, Leeds players - in particular the entire defensive line - are caught behind the Palace counter-attack, leaving Mateusz Klich as the last line of defence (Pic: InStat) Photo: InStat
4. Four players bypassed with one ball
At the breakdown of a Leeds corner, three of United's back four remain in the attacking third, attempting to swarm the Palace player and generate a quick turnover of possession, but their organisation in doing so is off. Kristensen, Llorente and Greenwood position themselves in a way that invites a ball down the line, creating the 1-v-1 that Klich misses and allows Palace in to equalise (Pic: InStat) Photo: InStat
5. Space on the break
Against Brisbane Roar, Leeds give the ball up in the middle of the park and are immediately on the back foot. The defensive structure is disjointed and separated, Kristensen is caught upfield and the distance between centre-back Robin Koch and defensive midfielder Marc Roca invites the opposition to carry the ball forward as Leeds retreat. (Pic: InStat) Photo: InStat
6. Organisation
Again, Leeds give up possession and are forced to retreat rapidly, simply to get bodies behind the ball. This leaves a number of players out of position as the last line of defence, with the central defenders engaging the ball carrier. If Brisbane were able to switch the play, Leeds would have been in trouble. (Pic: InStat) Photo: InStat