Phil Hay has told The Athletic that Jesse Marsch will differ from Marcelo Bielsa on the Leeds United training ground – by demanding less from his players. Bielsa was renowned for getting the maximum out of his side.
Marsch, 48, has joined Leeds until the summer of 2025 after the Leeds hierarchy decided to end Bielsa’s near four-year spell at Elland Road on Sunday. It comes after 14 goals conceded in their last three league games.
It is a gamble. Marsch is not enormously different to Bielsa in terms of style, while he has never managed in the Premier League. His last spell at Leipzig was poor, lasting just 21 matches and four months. But there is optimism.
Discussing the differences between the two, Hay told his Athletic column that Marsch will not demand as much as Bielsa on the training ground. There is a belief that it could benefit Leeds in the treatment room.
“Where Marsch is likely to differ is the physical demands he puts on his players within the week,” Hay writes. “Leeds have been increasingly concerned with the physical load players are put under before a game.
“It is likely to have contributed to some of the soft-tissue injuries that have plagued them. Marsch’s management of the squad leads to very few soft-tissue injuries. This might please Leeds’ medical department.”
Hay on Marsch, Bielsa: News will come as music to Leeds fans’ ears
Leeds fans have grown incredibly frustrated this season at the amount of soft-tissue injuries. Just regarding the hamstring alone, six Leeds players have been sidelined with the problem – Diego Llorente the most recent.
Calf, groin, and other areas have also been injured this season. The pressure on the medical department has been enormous – and while some see it as bad luck, many have pointed to Bielsa’s rigorous demands as the reason.
Marsch’s slightly-less demanding training will help Leeds players recover. It is said to reduce the chance of the injuries that have hampered Leeds badly this term – notably, the absences of Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford.
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