Jesse Marsch will be given more time to try and end Leeds’ alarming slide towards the drop zone.
Marsch has presided over a run of just two points from seven games to leave Leeds hovering just above the relegation places ahead of Sunday’s clash with Fulham at Elland Road. Leeds’ travelling fans turned on him after Thursday’s lame defeat at Leicester and many have lost faith in him.
But chairman Andrea Radrizzani and his board believe Marsch can still turn Leeds’ fortunes around. They are prepared to give him longer because he saved the club from relegation when he replaced Marcelo Bielsa in February and feel the team are playing better than results suggest.
Some supporters feel the former RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg boss has had enough time and they are questioning his tactics and substitutions. Marsch understands why his future is being questioned and is grateful that Radrizzani and his board still support him.
“The thing I saw, even before I came here, was the way the club and the board supported Marcelo all the way for many, many years,” said Marsch. I can only say that I have felt that same support, and I mean from everyone.
“Every time when a team goes through a bad patch, of course, the coach is the first one to be questioned. The manager faces the questions, is he doing the right things? Is he making the right decisions? We’re together. We’re unified from the board’s perspective and from the players’ perspective.
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“We’re doing everything we can. The league is tough. Now we are where we are and we have to stay focused. We have to be ready to do everything we can. When you look at it sometimes, there are pivotal moments and we’re in one of those right now. We’ve got to find a way on Sunday to do everything we can to get a result.”
Leeds’ 3,000 supporters at the King Power Stadium chanted Bielsa’s name and turned on Marsch when he failed to acknowledge them at the final whistle.
Marsch claims their negativity affects his players and hopes all of Elland Road will get behind the team against Fulham. “Yeah, I think it does impact the players,” he said. “Whether it’s fair or not doesn’t really matter - they can express their opinion however they want.
“The only one I heard that was bad was the one for Marcelo Bielsa and I’m OK with that. I’m OK with the fact that Marcelo is a club legend.
“I love Elland Road, I love our fans. We need them now. We need to be unified. They helped us last year in tough moments so we need them now.
“I would hope they have seen that a lot of work has been done. We worked really hard as a club, group and team to save our season last year, and we’re going to do the same again. We’re going to do whatever we can together to find a way to be successful.”
