Delusional Jesse needs to get real
IT was almost like Jesse Marsch was oblivious to what was happening. You have to admire his devotion to his passing principles, but there is a time and a place.
With Leeds staring down the barrel of relegation, this is not the time. And the Emirates Stadium, against an Arsenal front three relentless in their efforts to put defenders under pressure, was not the place. And, perhaps most pertinently of all, do Leeds have the players to play the sort of football their manager is trying to implement? Not on this evidence. So to attempt it, with Premier League survival at stake, is plain irresponsible. Particularly in the first half, Leeds showed little or no aptitude for passing their way out of trouble. Arsenal sensed blood and went for the kill. It makes for compelling viewing, though not necessarily for the reasons Marsch (below) would have intended.
When Leeds managed to score, it didn’t come from a freeflowing move akin to prime Barcelona. It arrived via a setpiece, Junior Firpo flicking on Jack Harrison’s corner before Diego Llorente leathered home at the back post. When Rodrigo missed Leeds’ glorious opportunity to equalise right at the death, it came from Kalvin Phillips’ launched free-kick into the area and another Firpo aerial flick. Football can be simple, too, and when you are in a relegation scrap, it probably needs to be as simple as possible. What is for sure is that Leeds’ defenders are not as comfortable playing out from defence as their manager believes they are. Illan Meslier should have smashed Luke Ayling’s tame back pass as far as his right boot could manage in the fifth minute, but instead he miscontrolled and Eddie Nketiah hunted him down. It wasn’t the only time a Leeds player’s lack of conviction in possession got them into trouble.
Time and again their commitment to style over substance had supporters covering their eyes. Leeds were not helped by their captain Ayling’s unforgivable challenge on Gabriel Martinelli in the 27th minute that saw them reduced to 10 men. No wonder Ayling apologised to his team-mates at half-time. In time, if he is afforded it, Marsch may well have success in implementing the sort of style he wants his team to play. But this is not the time to be experimenting — Leeds find themselves in the relegation zone following this defeat. After the match, Marsch hinted that he could be prepared to alter his approach for the final three games of his first season in English football. The fact that his side looked far more capable of getting a result against Arsenal when they were down to 10 men and scrapping for their lives may have given him food for thought. And while it seems unlikely now that Marsch will completely drop his passing fundamentals, there is surely room for a plan B.