Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch didn’t like what Phil Hay asked him about today
Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch didn’t like what Phil Hay asked him today in the club’s press conference before Sunday’s clash against Arsenal.
The Athletic Journalist asked Marsch about his “Plan B” for the team’s current one-system playing style, something that has been a cause for concern amongst Whites.
Hay raised the question to Marsch of the team’s adaptability in response to Marsch claiming changing styles isn’t necessarily one leap and it can be done incrementally.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Phil Hay podcast, the journalist responded to host Dan Moylan’s claims that Marsch got a bit “narcy” about his question.
“He got a little bit narcy about the question about Plan B, for anyone who isn’t aware what this is, you said to him this team is set up to play in a particular way,” said Moylan.
“The team’s been built to fit a system, are they built to play a different system, how adaptable are they and how do you teach adaptability?” Hay responded repeating the question he asked Marsch in the presser.
“I do think on the basis of what we’ve seen this season, there is the question of how suited players are playing out with this style that relies so much on pressing, counter-pressing, turnover of the ball, transitional play.
“When it works and we saw it works really well against Chelsea and I thought it worked pretty well in the first half against Palace, he said that was actually the best performance he thinks they (Leeds) have had.
“It seemed to me on Sunday that when it came to actually reasserting themselves when the game changed when it was different to how it had been initially where Leeds were dominating, it was difficult, it was difficult to rein it back in.”
Hay right.
Hay is right on this one, Leeds have become a bit too one-dimensional in their play and it’s shown when they go behind and run out of ideas.
When Leeds United are on the front foot and dominating play Marsch’s methods seem to pay dividends but they take their foot off the gas far too much in recent games.
The form of the team is off and it’s completely right to ask questions like this, if things aren’t working there needs to be resolutions as to why.
There’s plenty of time for Marsch to put things right and his job at the helm isn’t coming into question just yet, but fans need to see his heavy-pressing football working on the regular.
Not just on the odd occasions like against Chelsea, although this was a lovely performance and result it needs to be seen in Leeds’ Premier League outings on the regular.
In other Leeds United news, this player could be first in the Elland Road boardroom as new contract talks may take centre stage