Tony Dorigo notes downside to Leeds United tactics ahead of ‘big test’ for Jesse Marsch
The “big test” for Jesse Marsch at Leeds United is bringing in players to “refine” his system in the summer according to Tony Dorigo.
The American replaced Marcelo Bielsa after the January transfer window and has had to implement an entirely new system with a squad of players heavily geared towards his predecessor’s plan.
Three wins and a draw in the last four matches suggests it is working but ex-White Dorigo noticed some issues in the midfield at Watford and expects things to change in the summer.
The former United defender wrote in his Yorkshire Evening Post column: “The big test will be clearly getting to the summer and then getting the players that he would like in to really refine the way that he plays because, at the moment, he is having to play that style or the way that he wants with the players that he has got.
“I am sure there are a few tweaks that he would like to do too.
“It’s interesting because, with every single tactic and formation, I can give you the positive but I can also give you a slight negative.
“The way that Jesse plays is clearly more ‘in to out’ rather than ‘out to in’.
“We are nice and tight, we are compact in the middle and I think where that kind of breaks down at times is such as in situations like at Watford when they gave the ball away sloppily in midfield when there were just so many bodies around and we would give it away sloppily as well.”
Inevitable
There certainly were problems with the way the midfield functioned during the 3-0 victory at Vicarage Road.
A large portion of the game between the first and second goals was scrappy and allowed the home side to launch too many attacks.
Missing Kalvin Phillips until he was introduced an hour in did not help, but Robin Koch and Mateusz Klich were not at their best.
But as Dorigo notes, for now it is all about results, and it is essentially a needs must situation for Marsch until the end of the season.
He has done an admirable job in the circumstances considering how strongly built in Bielsa’s image the way of playing was.
There would inevitably be growing pains to change the system midseason, let alone changing the Argentines famous gameplan.
But he is some way to doing it, and is currently winning the relegation battle at the same time, so he deserves huge credit so far.
In other Leeds United news, the Sky TV director made a direct plea to one Whites star to stay live during the game.