LEEDS UNITED
IT’S TIME FOR A NEW GENERATION OF FANS TO INHERIT THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY HATRED OF LEEDS
THE PLAN
The club’s target for their opening two seasons after promotion was simply to stay in the Premier League, so with that objective achieved, Leeds can crack on, right? Not so fast. Following a ninth- place finish by going down to the relegation wire with Burnley left everyone shell- shocked, and what felt like natural next steps – progress towards Europe, work on expanding Elland Road – don’t seem that simple any more. Instead of building on Marcelo Bielsa’s legacy, Leeds blew it all up, and 2022- 23 feels like starting again in the unknown. The rush to sign players – two from Jesse Marsch’s former employers, Salzburg – suggests planned rebuilding, but dealing with high- profile departures might be the biggest test of the new coach while making his ‘ energy drink football’ work.
THE COACH
Jesse Marsch revealed he tried to talk the club out of appointing him mid- season, and he had a point. Though the 48- year- old Princeton graduate managed to keep Leeds in the division, he burned through a lot of goodwill in the process. His overarching challenge is to make life after Bielsa feel like a fresh start.
THE OWNER
Taking Leeds back to the Premier League made Andrea Radrizzani popular for just about as long as football attention spans ever allow. Only rarely did the Elland Road crowd threaten revolt last season, but when they did, the sole target was the board. The fans want less tweeting and more spending.
LESSON FROM LAST YEAR
Never do any of that ever again. Fans are divided over who to blame for a disastrous season, which is usually a sign that so much went wrong, there was no shortage of guilty parties. Key injuries to the Whites’ spine proved crippling, as were a joint- league- high 19 goals conceded from set- pieces, and if the former were truly down to Bielsa’s training methods, then there should be provisions made to ensure there’s no repeat. Otherwise, the big lesson resembles Howard Wilkinson’s old maxim: ‘ Fail to prepare; prepare to fail’. Nobody saw a bad second season coming, and nobody knew what to do when it arrived. Leeds won’t get away with that twice in this Premier League, and their hopes won’t be enhanced by hero Raphinha following Manchester City- bound Kalvin Phillips out the door.
THE MOOD
The fans are waiting to be impressed and the club has ground to make up, having lauded Marsch as an evolution from Bielsa. How will it look in practice?
ONE TO WATCH
Long- time target Brenden Aaronson has joined for more than £ 22m, and his previous relationship with Marsch makes him the symbol of Leeds’ new look. With the Premier League and World Cup ahead, there’s a lot being asked of the 21- year- old attacking midfielder, here and in his native USA.
MOST LIKELY TO...
Headbutt Jurgen Klopp? Well, we’re glad you asked. After telling Jackie Harrison to be ‘ a son of a bitch on the pitch’, Marsch claimed to have psyched out a referee into giving a Manchester City player a yellow card at Elland Road ( Leeds lost 4- 0) and complained that Premier League bosses are “too congenial”. Next up: a sweet left across Klopp’s chin to knock down those Ted Lasso comparisons.
LEAST LIKELY TO...
Win new friends. The sight of Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville begging for an opportunity to cover Leeds games is gone, but it was only ever a mirage. It’s time for a new generation of fans to inherit the traditional family hatred of Leeds United Football Club.