Stressful as his first 12 matches were in the job at Leeds United, Jesse Marsch has given himself a head start on the project he wants to build at Elland Road. Had the American arrived in the summer when he may have preferred, he would have walked into Thorp Arch from a standing start, but he’s now going into pre-season with more than a run-up.
There were ups and downs through those three months in the job for Marsch and he would have been forgiven for questioning the decision he made when everything seemed against him. As early goals were conceded, red cards collected and criticism taken for a style that wasn’t delivering, Marsch must have wondered.
As it is, with survival confirmed, Marsch could not be in a better position. He has taken so much from every facet of the club in those three months, he already now has a clear idea of what needs to change from day one next week.
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After the Brentford win, when he was asked about the importance of keeping Leeds up in relation to his job, Marsch said: “From the beginning, when Victor asked me to come, I went through it with you guys, at first I was like ‘no’.
“Then I thought about it for 24 hours and it was an opportunity. My focus was to keep us up, but it’s been a very important three months for me and my connection to the future of this club.
“I know the players more, I know the club more, I know the people that work within the club, I know the fans, I know the community, I’m much more aware of exactly what we are and where I want to take it. That’s how I treated it from the beginning, but I was laser-focused on achieving this goal.”
Marsch knows the staff, he knows the board better, he knows how Thorp Arch works, he knows what he can take from Elland Road on a matchday, he knows what the Premier League and, most importantly, he knows his players far, far better than he did in February.
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