Intensity from the first whistle and keeping those Marcelo Bielsa tendencies at bay are the key demands Leeds United need to meet, according to Jack Harrison. The Whites are away in Spain to continue with their three-week build-up to Manchester City’s Elland Road visit and it is much more than a bonding trip for the squad.
Hard yards are being run, intense exercises are being executed and Jesse Marsch’s proving relentless with his on-pitch barking. The Whites are well aware, despite taking six points from their last nine, their league position is far from satisfactory even with more than half the campaign still to play.
A number of the players have already spoken of the problems they need to address from the opening 14 matches. This break for the World Cup is the ideal opportunity to chisel away at those imperfections.
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Harrison said Marsch has demanded more intensity from the start of games, not just later or in the second half of matches. The former Man City winger’s also admitted the team can be guilty of slipping into old habits.
“A lot of it is the intensity from the start of the games,” he said. “We really want to come out flying and especially against Man City that is going to be huge for us.
“Sticking to the principles and the tactical game plan he's devised is going to be important as well. There's been times where we as players maybe drift away from that a little bit [and] it causes problems.
“So maybe sticking to the game plan and just making sure everyone's on the same page.”
Bielsa’s shadow, of course, looms large when it comes to speaking about old habits dying hard. The Argentine’s philosophy was drilled into the Leeds squad for more than three years with huge success along the way.
Harrison acknowledges it can happen at lots of clubs where current players and former managers go back a long way together. He says Bielsa’s successor can only keep repeating his demands until it becomes second nature for the players.
“There are times where we maybe fall back into the habits of the old manager and stuff and it's normal,” said Harrison. “In any club, you always have players that have been there for a long time [and] they have those tendencies to do those things, but everyone's got a good head on their shoulders.
“We’re trying to work out the right things and trying to do as the manager says and it is bound to happen, but Jesse's drilling it into us every day and we're trying to take as much in as we can.”
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