Jesse Marsch claims Leeds United players are 'nervous' amid lack of concentration suggestion

Head coach Jesse Marsch called on his players to show bravery and embrace their ‘inner Klichy’ during his post-match press conference on Wednesday evening, as he reflected on the Whites’ 2-2 draw with West Ham. Leeds went in front through Willy Gnonto but were forced to come from behind during the second half, after conceding a Lucas Paqueta penalty before the break and another to Gianluca Scamacca within sixty seconds of the restart.

Both goals follow a potentially concerning pattern for Marsch and his coaching staff to address. Lately, Leeds appear most vulnerable as the first half wears on and immediately as second halves begin. Including the Whites’ mid-season friendlies, the team have conceded 11 goals since their beginning of the World Cup break.

On three occasions during that period, Leeds have conceded on the stroke of half-time: Vs Elche: Josan 45’; Vs Manchester City: Rodri 45+1’ and vs West Ham: Paqueta 45’.

On five occasions, however, United have conceded within ten minutes of the game’s resumption following half-time. Scamacca’s 46th minute strike at Elland Road on Wednesday night came as the result of an under-hit Brenden Aaronson pass, while Erling Haaland’s 48th minute finish a week earlier came due to miscommunication between Liam Cooper and Robin Koch.

In addition, Leeds conceded three times before the 56th minute against Monaco in their final mid-season friendly.

The question is: are Leeds suffering from a lapse in concentration, that is contributing to errors and slow starts to the second half of games?

"The [Paqueta] goal, we play backwards too much and it Leeds ultimately to the penalty, but we're inviting them in into our end. And that's not what we wanted,” Marsch said at full-time on Wednesday night.

"That's not how we want to play. And so I have to find the pressure points, to push the buttons to get our players to perform like they’re down a goal, I guess, or to play like they do when sometimes we play against top opponents, because they were nervous. We were nervous.”

Marsch’s belief that his team are nervous suggests there could be a correlation between the time of Leeds’ recent concessions and their mental state in matches. Although, the head coach may not be the root cause; last season Leeds let in 11 of their first 22 concessions between the 46th and 61st minute of games, proving particularly vulnerable after the break.

Many may point towards Leeds’ 0-0 draw with Newcastle on New Year’s Eve as proof that the team do not lack concentration, however the 2.5 xG (Expected Goals) conceded by Marsch’s side in that game, suggests they were somewhat fortunate to come away with a clean sheet.

Moreover, the Whites have conceded 48 shots in the 15-minute period after half-time, more than any other segment in matches this season. How Marsch combats this recent trend remains to be seen but curbing individual mistakes and mitigating lapses in concentration is a difficult job. What the American coach may look to employ is a more solid rest defence structure which leaves Leeds less open to conceding when giving the ball away cheaply or unexpectedly, as happened with Scamacca and Haaland’s goals.