Four wins from Jesse Marsch’s 12 Leeds United matches and a final-day escape act underlined the struggles he faced. The head coach ultimately got the points he needed, but at no prolonged stage was the product on the pitch pretty or effective.
Time on the training field was at a premium for the American as he got his claws into his squad. At last, this summer has provided that time and space to work with the squad, especially in Australia.
Daniel James is one of those who has been relishing the chance to iron out any of the kinks they found in switching from Marcelo Bielsa’s system to Marsch’s. He opened up on the importance of that trip away before the squad flew out.
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“The manager came in late towards the end of the season,” he said. “The transition’s always hard going from one manager to another, especially in the middle of the season to get their points across.
“We did really well considering the time of the year, so this next five weeks is about nailing down this new system we have, listening to the manager and the coaches on what he wants from each individual player. We’ve made some great additions to the squad, which is always great and just looking forward to it now.”
Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, Darko Gyabi, Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra are all, crucially, out there with their new team-mates too. James believes the time away with them will prove vital.
“[Australia is a trip] I’m really looking forward to,” he said. “The players who have come in, have come in early, which is great. You can create that great bond with them.
“It’s important. Coming in at the end of the season is hard for him to get his strategies across because the games just come and come, so there’s no time in training.
“Most of the time was about having rest, so these five weeks are about learning, getting this new system locked down.”
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