Aston Villa look to piece together three consecutive wins for the first time under Gerrard with a trip up to Elland Road. Leeds will likely be well up for it given this is the first time they will be playing at home under their new manager Jesse Marsch.
I spoke to a Leeds fan, Jake, to get a little bit more information about Leeds’s season so far, their striking options and the importance of their missing man Kalvin Phillips.
The Opposition View
Leeds currently sit just two points off the relegation zone and our under new management, Jesse Marsch has only been in charge for one game but was there any signs that he could turn things around?
Without a doubt, I think Leeds fans got quite a surprise about how different we looked under Marsch and what we’d managed to do within just 4 days. The team looked much more compact than under Bielsa and there wasn’t that gaping hole in the midfield that we’ve been used to, where centre backs have the freedom to carry the ball to the centre circle without challenge; everything looked so much less chaotic. As expected, the man for man system was scrapped too, so it meant we weren’t wide open and Leicester couldn’t cut through us with 2-3 passes and be in on goal, which was a big positive change.
We also saw the return of a team press, as it seemed under Bielsa this season the only man who pressed was Dan James when he did his weekly sprints towards the opposition goalkeeper and breaking them in the process, but on Saturday we pressed in groups and in zones, instead of pressing individual players like Bielsa would ask them to do (albeit being non existent this.
So there were definitely encouraging signs for the rest of the season, and as Marsch said in his press conference, we’ll pick up all the points we need if we play like that for the run in, it’s just about putting the chances away, and with Bamford fit I have every hope we’ll do so.
@jake___2003
Before the Leicester game there was a bit of a debate between Leeds fans about who should lead the line up front out of Raphinha and James, who do you think is better suited for that position?
I think I and almost every Leeds fan would say neither; those two need to be out wide. Raphinha has never played centrally for Leeds and James playing up front was a typical Bielsa ‘square pegs in round holes’ scenario which made little sense to most people aside from the pressing aspect of his game, although he has suited the role in 2-3 games but they’ve been few and far between.
Marsch likes to play with two strikers and he did seem to use James as one of them at the weekend, possibly just to keep the continuity after only 4 days with the players.
But the main man we’ve all wanted to see starting up front whilst Bamford was out was Joe Gelhardt, his lack of game time under Bielsa for no apparent reason was extremely frustrating for Leeds fans as he’s impressed every time he’s stepped onto the pitch, with his tenacity and ability to run at defenders, but I don’t necessarily see him as a fox in the box kind of player, so it’s vital we have Bamford back just to lurk in the area, and thankfully he’ll probably get some minutes from the bench on Thursday as we haven’t scored in 3 games now.
@jake___2003
Perhaps a big part of Leeds’ downfall this season has been the absence of Phillips due to a hamstring injury, how important is Phillips to the Leeds style of play and how important is it that you keep him for next season?
Phillips is vital. I certainly don’t think we’d have quite so few points if he and Bamford didn’t pick up such lengthy injuries earlier in the season, but he’s just the spine of the team who has been badly missed, as all of our midfielders aside from him are average or half decent at best and it makes me insanely envious of Villa for having the likes of Ramsey, Coutinho and Douglas Luiz filling up the central spaces whilst we’re stuck with Mateusz Klich and Tyler Roberts.
@jake___2003
As for the future, I definitely think Phillips will stay for another season at least if we remain in the Premier League as his heart remains at this club, but Villa would have said the same about Grealish last year, so who knows!
What are your predictions for the match?
I’m very torn with this one – I have confidence with how we played against Leicester and the element of the new manager bounce, but then I think of Coutinho and he scares me if I’m honest, but I can’t be blowing smoke up Villa’s backsides on one of their own websites so I’m going to go for a 2-0 Leeds win because Tyrone Mings is at centre half, and that’s a good enough reason for any team to predict a win against you.
@jake___2003
Form Guide
Leeds will be desperate to grab their first win in seven games whilst Villa will be looking to build on their last two wins with another three points.
Insight Into The Opposition – Who is Jesse Marsch?
With Leeds hurtling their way closer and closer to the relegation zone it was clear that Bielsa’s refusal to deviate away from his trusted attacking tactics was eventually going to cost Leeds and so the board decided it was time to take action and sacked Bielsa. This disappointed numerous Leeds fans because of how much he has done for the club, but deep down they knew that if they kept going under Bielsa they would be in serious danger of the drop.
The Leeds United board acted quickly in their appointment of a new manager, bringing in the American Jesse Marsch the day after Bielsa’s dismissal. As a player, Jesse Marsch spent his time in the MLS under three different clubs (DC United, Chicago Fire and Chivas United) accumulating over 300 appearances over thirteen years. During his time as a player, the midfielder accumulated 3 MLS Cups as well as six other honours.
Perhaps a major factor in why Leeds chose Marsch was that his playing style doesn’t differ too greatly from Bielsa’s tactics which earned them a stable finish in the league last season. Marsch likes to play his football with high intensity and on the front foot which his players should be used to. However, an area where Marsch is dissimilar to Bielsa is the preferred formation of his teams. Whilst in Austria and Germany, Marsch was usually inclined to use the 4-2-2-2 formation which Manchester United’s caretaker manager Ralf Rangnick bought to the Premier League however he was yet to implement this during his first game against Leicester. Finally another area which we may see Leeds change from Bielsa’s reign is the use of zonal marking instead of man to man marking in the hope it will stop some of the goals going in.
So how well has Marsch done so far in his managerial career? Well Marsch started learning the trade when he was appointed as Bob Bradley’s assistant coach to the US Men’s National Team. A year later he took on his first job, Montreal Impact. Marsch lasted just over a year at Impact before he left due to a disagreement with the board. After over two years of waiting Marsch’s next job was waiting for him as the head coach of New York Red Bulls where he boasted a much more successful record over his three years at the club. He was in charge for 151 games and won 75 of them meaning he accumulated a win percentage of just under 50% which is an impressive feat. Marsch is still the manager with the most wins with the Red Bulls and even won the MLS Coach Of The Year during his first season at the club.
However, it was Marsch’s next move that would cement his reputation in Europe when he moved to the Austrian League as Red Bull Salzburg’s manager. During Marsh’s first season in Europe he won the double and this was repeated in his second season at the club. Marsch holds the highest win percentage at Salzburg than any other club he has managed at a massive 68%. This warranted Marsch a massive move to Red Bull Leipzig, the club he was the assistant manager at just two years prior. In Germany, Marsch had a difficult time and was only at the club for 21 games winning just eight of them.
It will definitely be an interesting task to see how Marsch does at Leeds given his slightly inconsistent record but if he manages to reflect the form he managed to instill in his Salzburg players with his Leeds players he could make Leeds a force to be reckoned with.
The Last Three
Opposition Team News
Leeds will be without their star holding midfielder Kalvin Phillips as he remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Marsch revealed that the striker that Villa fans know all to well, Patrick Bamford, will likely to play some sort of a role on Thursday night. Tyler Roberts will be out after he underwent a successful surgery earlier on in the week.
Premier League Head To Head
Last Time Out At Elland Road
Last time these two clubs met at Elland Road there was a huge emphasis on how Villa would cope without their captain and star man Jack Grealish. With all the pre-match noise focused on Grealish and his chins, it was down to the in-form Anwar El Ghazi to rescue Villa.
It was Villa who started off on the front foot as they won a corner which El Ghazi elected to take. The initial corner was disappointing as it failed to meet anyone in the box instead flying over to the outstretched leg of Ramsey who managed to control the ball and pass it on to Watkins. Watkins either made a wonderful pass or a fortunate shot which El Ghazi plucked from mid air, allowed to bounce and hammered pass Illan Meslier and into the net to give Villa the early lead.
Leeds responded well as a late shot blocked by Mings fell Into the path of Tyler Roberts who unleashed a strong shot full of venom but straight into the hands of Martinez who comfortably made the save. Villa took their chance to counter yet again with El Ghazi picking the ball up in a wide position and shooting. The shot made things awkward for the young French goalkeeper but he made the save well.
Into the second half and El Ghazi was once again involved in the action as his corner fell onto the head of Mings but he’s shot went out for a goal kick despite Mings’s plead with the referee that it came off Bamford. A fantastic cross field pass from Cooper placed Raphinha through forcing Matt Targett to commit a foul and pick up the booking.
Villa managed to see out the rest of the game and proved that they didn’t need Grealish to win a game.
My Prediction
I can see this game being dominated by a confident Villa side but Leeds will definitely have their chances. I’m going 2-1 Villa, Ings bagging a brace.
Safe travels to all the fans making the journey up to Elland Road. Enjoy the game and UTV!
ELLIS BURNETT | UTV PODCAST
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive ellisburnett – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
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