'A business for men' - Jesse Marsch on Leeds United mentality as players lose shield

At times during the last three-and-a-half years they faced more than their fair share of external questions and criticism, but were shielded from much of it by a head coach who only ever blamed himself.

If the collective performance was poor, Marcelo Bielsa did not come with an adequate plan or distributed the players incorrectly. If an individual player was poor, Bielsa had not done enough to let the man in question show his full resources. If a problem that had been persisting reared its head again, Bielsa had not found the solution. It was never the team’s character or their mistakes, it was always Bielsa.

So, after losing 3-0 to Aston Villa, the words of their new head coach must have jolted, if not jarred them.

Jesse Marsch sensed stress and fear, he saw a lack of confidence and aggression and a prohibitive level of individualism. The players went off script, doing things that were never part of the plan.

Marsch didn’t quite put it all on them – there was a nod to a defensive issue caused by the muscle memories of Bielsa’s man-to-man marking system, reminiscent of Frank Lampard’s recent references to problems he inherited at Everton – but the distinct impression he gave was that this was not a performance of his creation.

Rightly or wrongly, the shield has gone and the players suddenly look exposed. This is new and it cannot be comfortable, but it could provoke a response. We’ll soon see.

No-one in the Leeds dressing room, least of all the veterans who picked themselves up from play-off semi-final heartbreak to win the Championship, will want it to be said that they’re wilting under the pressure or the Elland Road atmosphere.

Expectation comes with the job at Leeds United and although Patrick Bamford predicted that fans would ask more of the team this season after such a fine first Premier League campaign, it’s something they should all be very used to living with by now.

They know that Leeds expects, every time the whistle goes, and under Bielsa they delivered exactly what it was the city wanted – the end of a 16-year top flight exile.

The expectation now is not a title, but simply survival, a task that currently looks as tricky as promotion once did.

Elland Road isn’t going to get any quieter nor any less demanding and patience is running painfully thin, so how, in three days, can Marsch change the mentality he saw against Villa?

For his part, he wants to create further clarity so players can stick to the script and understand, amid the stress and pressure, exactly what it is they should be doing. Bravery is the players’ part and that is on them.

“Stand tall,” said Marsch.

“I talked about this fear factor. The one thing I know is that there is no lack of desire or commitment or work ethic. Those things are at such a high level, that adds to the stress. They feel the pressure more because they want it so badly. We have to stay calm and create clarity. That’s still where we are. That’s what I will be focusing on.

“This is a business for men. We need to look clearly at each other in the eye and know it’s a difficult situation but we’re not getting out of it by hiding or being afraid. Only by being brave, having courage and belief. That’s what leadership is about.

“The one thing I can promise is I’m not afraid of the moment and the situation. In some ways I like having my back against the wall. This business is not about how good you are when it’s good, it’s how good you are when it’s really tough. Clearly we have a really tough situation.”

Marsch plans to spend his time before the game doing everything he can to ensure the performance against Norwich reflects who Leeds are.

Positive performances are always welcome but at this stage, with the table looking as it does, results are quickly becoming king.

Marsch though, doesn’t want the players thinking in terms of must-win games.

“I heard someone say it’s like a final,” he said. That someone was him, in his Amazon Prime interview, in which he called the Norwich game ‘basically a final’ before tempering his words in his press conference a little later on Thursday evening.

“I heard someone say it’s like a final,” he said. “No. I understand the vernacular, but every point is valuable, we are aware. Every moment in training and in matches is incredibly valuable.

Every point is massive. Focusing on those things will only disrupt our ability to achieve them. I have to get them to focus on their roles, clarity, focus on this moment, staying strong.

“It’s a psychological job with a football tactical job, the more I can put those roles together, the more success we’ll find. It’s a big task but I believe we can get there as a group.”

Marsch has not led Leeds to their precarious position, the season was damaged long, long, before he got on a plane to England, but his ability to create calm, confidence and clarity is going to go a long way towards deciding what happens next.

If fear is what is in the players’ minds and hearts then they will need help to overcome it. If they’re not following the plan then they will need further help understanding. It will need to be simplified and drilled until it replaces what they’ve known for almost four years as second nature. It’s a big ask for everyone and the international break will perhaps come at a good time, giving Marsch somewhat of an opportunity to work with those not away on national team duty.

Norwich, a team who looked bereft of all hope when Leeds beat them earlier in the season, don’t arrive after the break though – they’ll be at Elland Road tomorrow.

The head coach’s job is a difficult one, to put it mildly, but he insists he isn’t afraid. His team has shown genuine character and fearlessness before, albeit for another head coach. Marsch needs to harness it now. That much is on him.