First impressions of Jesse Marsch as he does battle for Leeds United hearts and minds

The new man in the Leeds United hot seat knows full well that, while some will pre-judge him on his accent, background and track record and others will be soothed by a slick press conference debut, his employment status and popularity at Elland Road will depend almost entirely on the result of what happens on the pitch.

Marsch, though, talked a very good game at Thorp Arch on Thursday.

There was the expected deference to Marcelo Bielsa, positivity surrounding the talent and work ethic of the group he has inherited, realism on the response to his arrival at the club and an obligatory reference to Ted Lasso, which he hasn’t watched by the way.

Yet amid the enthusiasm and niceties was plenty of self awareness and some strong hints that change is not only afoot, but very necessary.

As serendipity would have it, Marsch's new era began with the natural freshness bestowed by a return to in-person press conferences. For the first time since the Huddersfield Town game in March 2020, a Leeds boss was able to look journalists in the eye. Thorp Arch looks a little different now than it did then, thanks in chief to changes Bielsa had mandated. Landscaping work, astro-turf walkways around training pitches that boast under-soil heating and carpet-like surfaces, an extension to the academy building and, maybe most important of all, an increase to the number of parking spaces on offer, have all given the place a fresh look.

Welcoming his questioners to this environment, onto his turf, to sit and talk in person, was an opportunity Bielsa was deprived of due to the Covid-19 restrictions in place at Premier League training grounds. Those restrictions lifted just as he departed and Marsch arrived. Sitting a few feet away, instead of peering through a laptop screen from various homes and offices around the country, makes for a more personable encounter and removes the unintentionally frosty, awkward atmosphere created by mute buttons and buffering.

Marsch, who according to sources has presented an approachable persona to his players this week, is happy to be here at Leeds and happy to be talking football, albeit a little sooner than he initially expected and perhaps even wanted.

The risk of coming in at a time when the club could go down, instead of in the summer when their 2022/23 destination would be known, didn’t deter him.

“In the process, Andrea [Radrizzani, owner] asked me would I come if, at the end of the season, they were in the Premier League or the Championship, and I said that, if I felt the project was right, then absolutely it didn’t matter,” he said.

“And so, when they came to me eight days ago, it was time to show that I meant that.

“Of course, I didn’t want Marcelo to have to go out like this; I wanted to see him continue and finish his legacy and keep the team up.

“I wanted to make that argument with Victor [Orta] when he called me, but I could see that the group was suffering. Then I had to wrap my mind around doing it now. But, in the end, I’m committed to being here no matter what the situation is because I believe in it so much.”

Marsch, living out of a hotel while appropriate accommodation is sought for his family, is still wrapping his mind around a lot of things.

The first few days are, as he has experienced previously, a “whirlwind” until he can slow things down as he hones in on what it is that will help the team the most.

He arrived at Thorp Arch for the first time on Monday but, recognising the intensity of the emotion swirling around the training ground, kept it to a brief introduction. By Thursday, he was drilling set-pieces alongside his assistants Cameron Toshack, Franky Schiemer and interim first-team coach Mark Jackson.

Marsch is already content that his ideas are sinking in with an “intelligent” group of players.

“I told them yesterday after training, the topics that we did I worked with teams for six months and they did not perform the topics as well on the pitch as well as this group has done in two days,” he said.

“That’s a very positive sign, a very positive sign.”

Leeds could do with some positivity. They’re 16th, two points ahead of the drop zone and Burnley, in 18th, have a game in hand.

They’ve been leaking goals at a disastrous rate. To that end, Marsch will be changing the way Leeds set up to defend.

“Certainly getting away from the man marking, trying to also with the ball create tactics that don’t expose us in transition moments as much,” he said.

“For me, it’s a lot of things, it’s not one thing. Obviously a lot of teams have developed match plans against the way that the team had played here, that were starting to become very successful and easier and easier to implement.

“So clearly it’s not just saying we need to defend better. That is clear. But it’s more about what are the tactics to try to manage the situation effectively, so that we can make sure we are doing things as a group and making things as difficult as we can for opponents and that includes not just the run of play but set-pieces and dead-ball situations.”

Ticking two boxes that have increasingly concerned supporters in recent weeks and months on the training ground is all well and good - the proof will be in the pudding. The sooner an improvement is seen, however, the easier the sceptics will find it to stomach the idea of a new man in the technical area.

Marsch has not shied away from addressing the elephant in the room. He is not and never will be Marcelo Bielsa, but nor does he feel he has to be.

“I have followed living legends everywhere I have been,” he said.

“I think being secure with the fact that the predecessors did a lot of really good things well - Marcelo changed the mentality of the club and the team, he helped created a winning and successful mentality here - understanding the things that he did well and how to stay true to some of those things but then, in the end, also knowing that I don’t have to be Marcelo Bielsa. It’s more important for me to be me and to provide what this team needs in order to continue to get better and to grow. Clearly I am different, I am my own person and I have my own ways.”

Some changes will be instantaneous and some will take time to implement but not everything has to change.

He concedes that the chief reason he’s here is that his footballing philosophy offers a smoother transition for Leeds than other candidates might have done. He also knows that the team he has taken over needs no education when it comes to hard work.

“If you look at the running data from the season, they are easily the most intense team in the league and, for me, this week has been about not overloading them,” he said.

“And I can tell you that effort ... they don’t need reinforcement on effort here.

“These young men are hard workers, they give everything they have and, again, it’s about how to channel those efforts in the right way.

“I know that I’m not as intense, in terms of the daily process, as Marcelo but the key is that the performances on the pitch include that and my goal is to access their spirit, their hearts, their minds more and more and more so that they can perform even bigger and better than what they have. Honestly, I have worked with some incredible teams and good young men and this group here is remarkable so it gives me big hope that we can adapt to things quickly and that I can help them be successful.”

Rally cry issued, Marsch returned to his office to plot his next move.The battle for hearts and minds has begun at Leeds United.