Former Leeds United favourite says club are ‘in better position’ with Jesse Marsch than under Marcelo Bielsa

It has been 11 months since Jesse Marsch was named head coach of Leeds United, taking over from Marcelo Bielsa who was beloved among the Elland Road faithful.

Unfortunately, things were not working on the pitch for the Argentinian when the Yorkshire club made the decision to part company and bring in the American. Almost a year on and Leeds once again find themselves in a relegation battle but there is positivity around the club and a potential FA Cup run could be on the cards.

One former Leeds United player, who was providing pre-match opinions for the BBC at the Wham Stadium, says he believes that the club are in a better position under Marsch than they were with Bielsa at the helm. Jermaine Beckford, who scored 85 goals in 152 senior appearances for the Whites, was full of praise for the American coach.

Asked about Marsch’s first 11 months in charge, he said: “It’s been a rollercoaster to say the least. I think he’s improved the team defensively, that was one of the most important elements of the team to sort out because going forward under Marcelo Bielsa was really exciting, there were chances created non stop. He’s continued that with this current team but defensively they look a lot more solid and in tune with what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Asked directly if things were better now than under Bielsa, he continued: “I would say yes, only because of the organisation of the team at the back and in midfield they’re still creating chances. There’s still room for improvement, there have been a couple of really good signings that are cementing how Jesse wants to play.

“It’s only one win in nine but you look at the performances, that’s what Jesse likes to talk about and I stand beside him when he mentions that. Performance wise they’ve been brilliant, against Aston Villa and Brentfor were brilliant performances that were defensively really solid and really sound. Ultimately you win games by keeping clean sheets and scoring goals, unfortunately Ledsa haven’t kept enough clean sheets or scored enough goals. It’s a work in progress but it’s positive none the less.”