Jesse Marsch has opened up on the key role the members of his Leeds United leadership council have played over the last few months at Thorp Arch. The head coach put together a leadership group shortly after arriving in West Yorkshire last season and he admits he has felt the need to lean on the six men for help recently.
Skipper Liam Cooper heads up the experienced pack, which also features Luke Ayling, Rodrigo, Patrick Bamford, Stuart Dallas and Adam Forshaw. Unfortunately, all six players involved have struggled with injuries this Premier League season and that has limited their collective impact on the field of play.
However, despite their respective concerns, they have had a vital role to play off the pitch this season. After rounding them up for a meeting in the club’s new training ground press room recently, Marsch called on those involved to help him pull the club out of their eight-game winless streak.
The head coach asked them to help by setting high standards, holding the squad to them and promoting a positive frame of mind within camp.
“Those guys are incredibly vital to what we do here,” Marsch said in the build-up to Saturday’s home game with Bournemouth. “But the issue has been that too many of them have been injured.
“So with Stuart and Adam out a long time, Luke was out in the beginning of the year, Patrick wasn't healthy. I mean, there were some games where we made Robin (Koch) captain because none of the six leadership council players were healthy.
“So obviously getting Luke back has been really important, getting Coops healthy and going. It's been really important. Rodri I think has been a pretty consistent guy with the team.
“At one point we sat in this room and I said, ‘listen, right now you guys have got to be strong and I need you. I need you to help me in this moment and I need you to be clear that we need to push the group and make sure that there's no little things going on behind the scenes, that we stay on top of being positive and maintain the belief’.
“So those guys have been vital for that.”
Of the six members of the leadership council, four are expected to be involved this weekend as the Whites host Gary O’Neil’s Cherries at Elland Road, with Dallas and Forshaw being ruled out through injury. Dallas hasn’t been seen since fracturing his femur in April, but he’s expected to be a part of the club’s plans during the World Cup break and isn’t thought to be far off a return.
Forshaw, on the other hand, hasn’t played since twisting his ankle in the build-up to the clash with Aston Villa last month.
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