Jesse Marsch has been Leeds United head coach for little over two weeks, but found time yesterday evening to attend his maiden U23s fixture at Elland Road. Marsch was announced as Marcelo Bielsa's replacement 15 minutes into the young Whites' Premier League 2 fixture with Tottenham Hotspur late last month, while preparations for the visit of Aston Villa were in full swing last Monday as the U23s drew 1-1 with Mansfield Town U23.
On Tuesday evening, Marsch and members of his backroom team opted to take in Leeds U23s' clash with Manchester United U23 at Elland Road - alongside 9,808 other spectators. They were treated to a 3-0 victory, courtesy of goals from Stuart McKinstry, Max Dean and recently-turned 16-year-old Archie Gray. New U23s head coach Andrew Taylor named a strong XI for the fixture, including Crysencio Summerville, Sam Greenwood, Charlie Cresswell and Jamie Shackleton in the starting line-up.
Despite a cagey opening, the team grew into the contest, finding the back of the net shortly before the 15th minute of the mark. Stuart McKinstry's confident, sweeping finish capped a well-worked Leeds move down the right-hand side. Summerville's turn and lay-off to Sam Greenwood inside the penalty area eventually provided McKinstry with a first-time shot on goal from the left-hand side of the box, after Leeds had turned over possession high up the pitch in the build-up.
READ MORE: Player ratings from Leeds United U23s 3-0 Manchester United U23s
Going in at the break with a slender lead, Taylor withdrew his most senior presence on the field, replacing Jamie Shackleton with teenage Kris Moore at right-back, but Leeds did not relent in their efforts to find a second goal. Eventually it came through Max Dean. Once again, excellent pressing of the opposition yielded a turnover which Leeds were able to exploit to devastating effect.
Tunisian international Hannibal Mejbri tried in vain to shake second half substitute Archie Gray, but the 16-year-old shadowed his every move. Sam Greenwood pounced on the opportunity to steal possession, before presenting Dean with a golden opportunity which he duly dispatched of, leaving the £9 million Man United signing sprawled on the turf and a possibly even a tad embarrassed at his forfeiture of possession.
Leeds' third and final goal of the evening will certainly not be forgotten in a hurry by Archie Gray. Capitalising on Man United goalkeeper Ondrej Mastny's decision to deal with a stray pass some distance from his goal, the Red Devils' stopper found himself stranded as he was hounded into misplacing a clearance straight to the feet of young Gray.
As Gray's effort off the ball had helped fashion the chance for Dean's goal, it was Dean's pressuring of Mastny that forced the error, allowing Gray to float one in from 35 yards. Marsch will have been pleased with what the U23s offered, especially considering all three goals were scored within ten seconds of retrieving the ball from the opposition.
U23s head coach Andrew Taylor - taking charge in place of Mark Jackson who joined Marsch's backroom staff two weeks ago - was equally pleased: "The level of performance, the level of attention to the detail that we explained to them in the build up to the game and how we wanted to set out as a group as a team and the key sort of messages that we give them, they implemented them perfectly out there. I think it was a very good performance from every single player."
Taylor went into greater depth on the tactical elements that led to the team's victory on Tuesday night, referring to Marsch's pressing ideals: "We've been working on that a lot, to be fair," the former Middlesbrough and Cardiff City defender said. "Pressing the opposition, not just in ones and twos, [but] as a group swarming them. The manager uses the phrase 'tightening the net.'
"Archie [Gray] was a great example of that. He's putting pressure [on] but he's not just on his own. So then Sam backs him up and we get the ball and play forward," Taylor added, referencing Leeds' second goal on the night. The U23s coach confirmed he is, at this stage, only standing in for Mark Jackson temporarily until the end of the season, but conceded the situation may be discussed further in summer if Jackson continues within Marsch's backroom group next season.
