06 February 2023

Defensive deficiency and inconsistency – The issues that undermined Jesse Marsch

06 February 2023

Jesse Marsch has been sacked as Leeds head coach after less than a year in charge.

Here, the PA news agency looks at Marsch’s record at Elland Road.

Overall record

Marsch won less than 30 per cent of his games in charge of Leeds in all competitions, 11 out of 37 (29.7 per cent).

His side drew 10 and lost 16 matches and, in league action, took just 33 points from 32 games, with eight wins, nine draws and 15 defeats.

They scored a total of 52 goals and conceded 60, with only six clean sheets.

Struggle for consistency

Leeds never won more than two successive games under Marsch and only achieved that three times in the Premier League – and one of those was split across this season and last.

They beat Norwich and Wolves consecutively in the American’s third and fourth games in charge in March, and finished last season with a win at Brentford before starting the new campaign by again beating Wolves.

The third occasion came against Liverpool in October and Bournemouth on bonfire night – though in a strange quirk of fate, that upturn in form ended when they were unable to beat Wolves in the League Cup.

They have not won a league game since, their only successes coming in the FA Cup against Cardiff – after a replay – and Accrington.

They had losing runs of four league games in October – against Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Leicester and Fulham – and three towards the end of last season, admittedly against Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Defensive issues

The lack of clean sheets is one of the most glaring issues in Marsch’s Leeds record – they conceded three or more goals in a game on more occasions than they shut the opposition out.

After he succeeded Marcelo Bielsa with 12 games of last season remaining, they conceded 19 goals in those matches with their only clean sheets coming against Watford and Palace. The latter was a goalless draw, one of five times Leeds failed to score, alongside games against Leicester and Aston Villa – Marsch’s first two at the helm – Manchester City and Chelsea.

This term they kept the Blues, Villa, Newcastle and Brentford at bay, but their efforts were undermined by conceding five in their previous meeting with the Bees, four against Tottenham and three each to Fulham, Bournemouth and Manchester City.

Last season’s statistics could have been even worse had Illan Meslier not finished 12 clear at the top of the Premier League saves chart with 143. He is down at 59, 10th in the top flight, this term.

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