Raphinha is key for Marsch and Leeds
JESSE MARSCH is backing his development skills to get the best out of Raphinha and save Leeds from relegation. The talented Brazilian has scored only once in 11 games coinciding with United’s slide towards relegation trouble and the sacking of Marcelo Bielsa.
American Marsch needs a result against fellow strugglers Norwich today having lost his first two games in charge but has a track record of helping attacking players.
At New York Red Bulls, Marsch mentored Tyler Adams who is now a Bundesliga star at Leipzig and at Red Bull Salzburg, he managed Patson Daka, Enock Mwepu and Hwang Hee-Chan — all of whom subsequently moved to the Premier League.
‘Raphinha is clearly a special player,’ acknowledged Marsch. ‘I like his talent and I have had a lot of success working with young, talented, attacking players. ‘I will keep working with him to help him understand how he can fit into what we are doing.
‘The team is always the most important, but with every individual you have to get to know what makes them tick, how they respond to good and bad things, and get to the core of it.
‘I have had some good interaction and conversations with them. His role has changed a bit in terms of tactically what I want him to do on the pitch, but he has responded really well.
‘He is another guy who wants it so bad. He tries everything he can but what happens with all of them is it becomes individual instead of it being the collective and how it all fits together.’
Leeds have lost six matches in a row, failing to score in their last four, and their fans are aware the last time they were relegated from the Premier League, it took them 16 years to get back.
As the biggest one-club city in England, representing a population of 800,000, the partisan support should be an advantage.
However supporters chanted Bielsa’s name during Thursday’s 3-0 home defeat against Aston Villa and Marsch knows he needs results to alter the mood.
‘I have learned in this business not to take anything personally,’ said the 48-year-old American. ‘I am tasked with a job to do. I understand part of it is managing fans and their opinions, but the best way is to make the team perform in the ways that I know they can.
‘When I’ve interacted with fans, I have the found the people here kind and warm.
‘That can change if the team doesn’t perform. I am very aware of that, and I am okay with that too.’
Time is not on Marsch’s side and opposite number Dean Smith knows how that feels.
He hasn’t had a lot of time on the training ground, so it’s going to be tough for him to get his ideas across straight away,’ said the Norwich boss.