More especially when it’s only his third game in charge and he doesn’t have a single goal, let alone a point or win to his name.
Head coach Jesse Marsch, a committed, likeable and motivated man, found out a little about Elland Road on his opening night.
You’ll find out a bit more tomorrow if events go wrong like they did against Aston Villa: the atmosphere will turn toxic.
After a terrible performance against Villa, where it was all too easy to criticize their performance in defence, midfield and attack, Leeds face probably the best opponents they could face next. And, on the contrary, the worst.
Norwich prop up the table and, like Leeds, are low in confidence and confidence after losing six games in a row.
A win at home would represent a crushing landmark moment in a dismal campaign for the Canaries. It would be a psychological blow from which it would be difficult for them to recover.
The same goes for Leeds should the unpleasant prospect of a Norwich win present itself.
You have to go back to March 16, 2019 for the last league game of such importance, for different reasons, in Leeds at LS11.
Sheffield United were the visitors to a great meeting at the top of the Championship. Pontus Jansson urged home fans to arrive early, calling it “the game of our lives”.
It was a day to do and talk was cheap. The Blades were second best, but kept their nerve and found a way to win.
They weren’t brilliant, but their minds were strong and they deepened their character reserves.
That’s what Marsch’s Leeds demands tomorrow on a day that probably won’t be easy.
Marsch, who professed a sleepless night on Thursday, said: “This is a men’s business. We need to look each other clearly in the eye and know that it is a difficult situation, but we will not get out of it by hiding or being afraid.
“Just being brave, having courage and faith. That’s what leadership is all about.
“I understand the frustration and concern of the fans. The most important thing is faith and courage as a club, a city, a community.
“We cannot have doubts from all perspectives as we will never achieve our goals. I’m here to instill those things and confidence. With the fans you have to earn it, it doesn’t happen.
“The same with the players and the directors. I’m not afraid. I’m here for the right reasons and I want to help the club be what it can be.”
If Burnley win or draw against Brentford today, Leeds will be a point above the relegation zone before kick-off tomorrow.
If that happens, the pressure will mount further for the hosts, who must clear their minds after making some heinous decisions against Villa and make the right decisions amid an atmosphere that has the potential to turn feverish if it goes wrong again.
He will need great senior players to step up and make the right decisions in terms of tracking backs or passing players, both aspects of which let Leeds down on Thursday.
Those in white must also display a fire and ice mentality, a hallmark of the age of plenty in Bielsa’s golden days.
Fire in terms of having the fervent desire to win and displaying ferocity in winning the ball back after losing possession and Ice in terms of calming down and playing your own game on your own terms.
For those players who received bouquets during the club’s glorious rise under Bielsa and know what it meant to club and city to see their team return to the Premier League after such a long absence and were emotionally involved in it, there is an additional sense. of responsibility
For example, the Dallas, Ayling, Bamford and Harrison of this world.
Sadly two others in Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips will be in the stands. On Thursday’s damning evidence, they can’t get back on the field soon enough.
Marsch’s previous experiences have not fully prepared him for this exact scenario. He accepts it candidly, but he also knows more than enough about Leeds to understand what these next 10 games mean for the club.
On whether he has faced similar scenarios in his career to date, Marsch said: “Maybe not… My first job was with an expansion team in Montreal (Montreal Impact in 2011-12). It was a new group with new ideas.
“I had to stick to the plan, work hard and believe in the process. We went through a phase towards the end of the season where we were really good.
“I am not…
More about this article: Read More
Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-12 06:55:54
