American here-
I’ll keep my Premier League allegiance private, but been a fan of Marsch and have followed him pretty closely ever since he moved to Europe, so have some thoughts.
-He was pretty much screwed from the beginning with Leeds, following Bielsa. Anyone who was appointed, barring a miracle worker, was pretty much screwed. The ground that Bielsa walks on is worshipped and there were many Leeds fans willing to get relegated with him at the helm. That kind of feverish, undying loyalty from a fanbase is nearly impossible to follow and to win the fans over after that is incredibly difficult.
-I’ve read some quotes from Leeds forum(s) on here the last day or two and I’m assuming they’re pulled off of MOT. While there are some reasonable fans, that place is littered with a lot of deluded types who think way too highly of themselves and their club’s stature in the game. That could probably be said for the vast majority of supporters’ forums to be fair, but some genuinely shocking opinions there. A good portion of MOT was fuming at Marsch for not giving Joe Gelhardt enough of a look-in at striker and for sending Charlie Cresswell on loan at the beginning of the season. Gelhardt is now on loan in the Championship and Cresswell has been very up and down for Millwall this season. Take what they say with a giant grain of salt.
-He shored Leeds up defensively, compared to Bielsa, while still maintaining a system that was more attack-oriented. When he was first hired and his sole job was to keep Leeds up, it often wasn’t pretty and it was clear he was just trying to keep the unit together and pulling in the same direction. I would expect similar at Southampton over the coming months, where some of his system is integrated but not the full setup. It will help that the majority of the Saints squad played under Hassenhutl, who comes from the RB setup and has a similar playing style.
-He was pretty badly let down by them not converting their chances and some mental mistakes at the back. The underlying numbers point to a squad that should have been 2-5 spots higher up the table when he was sacked. 7 of their 10 losses in the league this season were by one goal. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but that’s a Leeds side that could have easily been higher up the table if a few breaks had gone their way. Whether that’s comforting or concerning for you, is obviously up for interpretation…
-I don’t think he ever really lost the dressing room at Leeds, which IMO says a lot, since results were hard to come by. It really wasn’t until the second half of the Nottingham Forest game where it started to become obvious (at least to me), that the race was up in terms of fan support and possibly belief from the team in what he was doing. The players worked hard and looked committed throughout his tenure.
-As has been stated a few times now, he’s generally thought of as a genuinely good human. Obviously that only goes so far and this profession is about winning and getting results, but after enduring Nathan Jones, it will hopefully be a breath of fresh air for the players and the fans.
-He’s American, so while it’s stereotyping, he definitely has a lot of self-confidence, belief in himself and his team and a ‘never-say-die’ attitude. He’s incredibly bright and Ivy League educated and he’s quite transparent and honest when talking with the press. I know you Brits detest showing emotion and having a bit of personality 😉, so I do think that will grate at times, especially if results aren’t going well. I know it rubbed Leeds fans the wrong way quite often. So just prepare yourself.
-This will be the first time since he came to Europe that he won’t be following an incredibly successful manager. At Salzburg, it was Marco Rose who won everything there and left to become the Monchengladbach manager. He then followed one of the brightest, if not the brightest young managerial talent in the world at Leipzig with Nagelsmann. And then of course at Leeds, following a living legend who brought glory and good times to the club that supporters hadn’t seen in nearly a generation. I think it’ll do him a world of good coming in after a man who was, by most accounts, universally disliked by supporters.
-His system has flaws, like every system does. Their pressing style left them dangerously exposed on counter attacks at times, especially at fullback. In attack, things often felt compacted and congested in the middle with not enough width in the opponents’ half or final third. The quick transitions forward, when they worked, were scintillating at times but when they break down, which happens a lot, it can be very frustrating to watch and often lead to the defensive exposure I just mentioned above. His subs often left a lot to be desired, but how much he was hamstrung by the options at his disposal, is debatable.
-His signings were definitely hit-or-miss at Leeds. Aaronson, Adams, Wober, Kristensen and probably McKennie were all signings that he pushed for. Aaronson started brightly but has faded badly as the season has worn on. Adams is up there for club POTY and has been one of the first names on the team sheet all season. Jury is still out on Kristensen, but he’s probably not good enough and McKennie has shown promise and will probably be a good signing. Wober has come in and immediately been one of their best, if not best central defender. Gnonto, Rutter, Sinisterra and Rutter all seemed like decisions that were made more by the club to bring in.
-He’s not afraid to play young players. Crysencio Summerville and Sam Greenwood have both seen decent amount of playing time, especially the former. To go along with U-23’s like Gnonto, Adams, Aaronson and Sinisterra. That should bode well for players like Alcaraz, Mara, Lavia, etc.
Genuinely unsure how this will go for him and for Saints. The Yank Lampard and Ted Lasso shouts were usually wide of the mark as Lampard is a complete idiot with no discernible playing style and only got into the managerial positions he got into through his last name. The ‘rah-rah’ Ted Lasso stuff has a little more merit, I guess, but Lasso is also a caricature and Marsch has grinded for years in the profession to get where he is. He has had his admirers across Europe for a reason.
99% of managerial stints end on some type of sour note, but I do hope there’s some really good moments in between for him and your club. Don’t plan on posting here again, but just wanted to give some thoughts on the impending appointment. I do hope it works out in the long run, even if it means relegation this season and a stint back in the Championship to right the ship. The best of luck, except for when you play my club, as always.
