By Daniel Feliciano

12th Mar, 2022 | 8:05am

Robbie Savage says Leeds are 'dull' under Jesse Marsch

Robbie Savage has questioned the Leeds decision to hire Jesse Marsch, saying they’ve become ‘dull’ and ‘boring’ since he replaced Marcelo Bielsa in his Mirror column.

Leeds sacked Bielsa after a ninth defeat in 12 games saw the Whites slip to within two points of the relegation zone, but Marsch has lost his first two games in charge despite a more defensive approach and failed to improve their position.

Fans have already made their frustrations under the new man clear and Savage has questioned if the new approach is worthwhile or if fans would have preferred the ‘rollercoaster’ under Bielsa if they end up going down anyway.

“Leeds have lost their last two games and the same problems evident under Marcelo Bielsa are still there – but now the football’s dull,” he said.

“Nothing personal against Bielsa’s successor Jesse Marsch, who has only been in charge five minutes. But when Leeds were losing under Bielsa, at least it was fun.

“Under Bielsa, Leeds leaked too many goals but it was always entertaining and there was always a chance of him pulling a rabbit from the hat, like the 3-2 win at West Ham.

“Marsch is trying to make them more compact, more solid, but when you are outgunned 15-4 on shots by the away side, it’s got to be a concern.

“Patrick Bamford’s return from a long injury lay-off will help, and if Leeds stay up by being less adventurous – or more boring – then caution will have served its purpose.

“But if the season ends in relegation, what’s the point of going down playing more negatively when you could have had fun on Bielsa’s rollercoaster? And the bottom line is that, under Bielsa, Leeds were never in the bottom three.

“Yes, all the goals going in at the wrong end was a worry, but he was keeping their heads above water. But now I’m more worried than ever for them because it’s getting too close for comfort.

“Norwich and Watford look doomed, and on paper Everton have enough quality to stay up, so it looks like Burnley or Leeds will fall.”

Emotion

If you’re taking all emotion out of the situation, then the decision to part ways with Bielsa was the right one. Leeds had conceded 60 goals under him this season and there were no signs of improvement in performances.

That said, it doesn’t necessarily mean that hiring Marsch was the right decision either.

The American was good with Salzburg but really struggled to get his ideas across in the Bundesliga with Leipzig. With limited time to work with these Leeds players, it was always going to be tough to hit the ground running.

Now the fans are beginning to turn and the atmosphere is becoming toxic, which makes it much harder for the players to build momentum and get good results.

There is added pressure against Norwich and the game is a must-win, not only for the team but also for the board to justify their decision to the fans.

In other Leeds news, ‘Killed them’ – Journalist rips into Jesse Marsch for Leeds decision v Aston Villa