The 'new manager bounce' is a thing in football. It has always been a thing in football. It will continue to be a thing in football.
For Leeds United, they will be hoping that the departure of manager Jesse Marsch will give them the boost they need for their upcoming clash with Manchester United. It remains to be seen who will replace the American on a permanent basis, but for now, three of the club's coaches will take charge of Wednesday's clash with the Reds.
While the Whites don't technically have a new manager, they will still be hoping for the bounce that typically comes after dismissing the man in charge. The sheer presence of a fresh face on the touchline could certainly give them a lift on Wednesday night - especially considering that they have not won in the Premier League since early November.
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Leeds are currently 17th in the league table and have only won four of their 20 top-flight matches this season, with six draws and 10 defeats. Erik ten Hag's side, meanwhile, currently sit third and are eight points behind league-leaders Arsenal. One club is fighting for top-flight survival, while the other is still competing on all four fronts.
Everton, for example, defeated the Gunners at the weekend in Sean Dyche's first game as Toffees boss. There was definitely a feeling of a new manager bounce at Goodison Park, and Leeds will be hoping to lure United into the exact same trap when they travel to Old Trafford to face United on Wednesday night.
United's home game against the Whites was originally scheduled to take place in September, but the clash was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It was set to take place just one day before her state funeral in London, meaning police forces we redeployed to the capital, rather than Manchester.
Since then, the Reds have significantly improved. Leeds, on the other hand, have declined. The Yorkshire club have won just two of their last 17 Premier League matches and are currently on a winless run of seven in the top-flight. It was, therefore, no real surprise that the club opted to sack Marsch, but most Reds fans would rather they made the change next week instead.
However, the truth is that it really shouldn't matter when exactly Leeds decided to part company with Marsch - or even that they did so altogether. United have won four of the last five matches between the two clubs, and while only three of those have come in the Premier League, it shows that Leeds have failed to trouble the Reds in more than a decade.
Leeds' last victory over United came in the FA Cup in January 2010. The Yorkshire outfit have not defeated the Reds in more than 13 years, so whether or not they have a fresh face in the dugout really won't make that much difference.
The visitors are more than capable of arriving at Old Trafford and getting a win over Ten Hag's side, but if that is to happen, it is more likely to be down to the home side failing to perform, rather than vice versa.
Prior to Marsch's dismissal, a Premier League report since the start of 2017/18 campaign, showed that there were 26 managerial changes in the top-flight competition in four complete seasons. Of the 26 managerial changes that occurred, 20 of the new managers averaged more points per match (ppm) in their first five matches in charge than their predecessors.
Moreover, in nine cases, the new man doubled the previous points average, or, sometimes, did even better than that.
United have experienced the new manager bounce themselves before - with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer benefitting from the phenomenon. After taking over from Jose Mourinho in 2018, the Norwegian won his first match 5-1, before going on to win the next four league games. He became the first manager to win the first five league games in charge of the Reds since Sir Matt Busby in 1946.
With Marsch at the helm, it was clear how Leeds were going to play. Up until Monday, United will have been preparing to face a Whites side coached by the American, but now, it is somewhat of a mystery how they will line-up, or even how they will approach the game.
Leeds will be hoping for a new manager bounce. It is down to United to prove that it is simply a phenomenon - regardless of how successful it has been.
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