Former Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford has opened up on his discussions with recently appointed Jesse Marsch over how he wants his side to play. Marsch took charge of his fourth game as manager of the club on Friday evening as the Whites completed a superb 3-2 comeback victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Leeds have won two and lost two during his opening month in charge to open up a seven-point gap between themselves and the bottom three. Marsch will be particularly pleased with the response his players have shown since the 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa nine days ago, when Leeds’ six game losing streak was showing no signs of slowing down.
The 48-year-old has predominantly been looking to change the way the Whites operate when out of possession, transitioning from Marcelo Bielsa’s man-to-man marking system to a different sort of pressing style. Speaking on talkSPORT, Beckford detailed how Marsch told him that the displays against Leicester and Norwich City are good examples of how he wants his side to play and has been impressed with how quickly they have adapted.
READ MORE: Leeds United players react to 'huge' season-defining win against Wolves
He said: “We as Leeds fans want to see application, hard work, determination and the willingness, excuse the pun, brick walls and all that sorts of nonsense for the cause. There were a few players at that time being judged on whether they cared about the club enough and whether they were willing to go that extra mile. And we saw it on the pitch. That’s the biggest thing I can take away from the three performances - the Villa one I’ll put that to the side in a box and say it’s a freak result.
“The Leicester and Norwich games - performance wise, that’s what Jesse Marsch wants to impose on the club. I spoke to Jesse about it as well and he said: ‘This is exactly it. This is how I want to play, and I know they can do it now. I don’t need to worry about fitness levels because Leeds are one of the fittest in the Premier League. All I need to do is mould them into what I want’.”
