Co-caretaker manager Michael Skubala names three positives from Leeds United’s season under Jesse Marsch. The Whites sacked the coach on Monday after under a year in charge.
Elland Road chiefs fired Marsch following their 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The result left the club 17th in the Premier League table and without a win in seven games since November 5. They also only sit outside of the relegation goal on their goal difference.
Leeds have put Skubala, Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo in charge for this Wednesday’s trip to Manchester United. But Leeds Live reports the Whites want to get Marsch’s permanent successor in charge before the Red Devils visit Elland Road in a reverse meeting on Sunday.
Interviews are also already underway between chief executive Angus Kinnear and director of football Victor Orta with leading candidates. Talks started on Monday night and through Tuesday as the West Yorkshire side bid to wrap up talks but their top targets are all in jobs.
Owner and chairman Andrea Radrizzani will also arrive in the UK ahead of Leeds’ midweek match at Old Trafford. He will have a key say in who Leeds hire as their next manager after they sacked Marsch. The American had only replaced Marcelo Bielsa on February 28, 2022.
Skubala sees three positives from Leeds’ season under the sacked Marsch
Leeds decided Marsch had to be sacked and temporarily promoted U21 boss Skubala with Armas and Gallardo. The Whites and Southampton have taken the joint-fewest points (3) in the Premier League since the Elland Road natives beat AFC Bournemouth in November.
Yet despite Leeds also only winning a joint-league-low four times all season, Skubala feels there were some positives under Marsch. He believes one of the plus points from the 49-year-old’s tenure was the Whites’ goal difference. They sit at minus-8 through 20 matches.
“We’ll set up a team that is competitive without the ball and one that we think can exploit their weaknesses,” Skubala said, as quoted by Leeds Live. “We’ve been really good without the ball [and] the goal difference is good. We’ve been on the front foot and aggressive.”
Leeds’ goal difference is the seventh-worst in the Premier League after scoring 26 goals to 34 conceded this season. Bournemouth sit 19th in the table with the worst goal difference of minus-24 having let in the most (43). Southampton in 20th place sit second at minus-21.
Nottingham Forest climbed up to 13th in the table after beating Leeds. Yet the City Ground squad have the third-worst goal difference at minus-18 after 21 games ahead of Wolves in 15th (minus-15), 18th place Everton (minus-12) and 12th place Crystal Palace (minus-10).
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