Marsch: We’ll be screwed if we play the blame game

LEEDS boss Jesse Marsch fears his team are ‘screwed’ if they start blaming each other after slipping into the relegation zone. Defeat at Arsenal saw the Yorkshire side drop into the bottom three. Leeds were their own worst enemy yesterday as goalkeeper Illan Meslier’s huge error allowed Eddie Nketiah to open the scoring before Luke Ayling saw a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Gabriel Martinelli in the 27th minute. But Marsch said: ‘If we start playing the blame game with players, we’re screwed. We’ve got to stick together and fight for points, it’s not a time to point the finger. ‘We dug ourselves a massive hole and made a difficult task much, much more difficult. But our resolve and fight when the game was incredibly hard was amazing. ‘The ironic thing was this was 500 games for Luke but it was a moment of poor judgement. He apologised to the group. ‘And young goalkeepers can make mistakes but the rest of Illan’s game was quite good today. We are going to need him in the last three games.’ Asked whether he believes Leeds can avoid relegation, Marsch replied: ‘I do. We have to stay positive, stay strong and forge on. The focus is fully on Chelsea (who they face on Wednesday) and to prepare for a key game.’ Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes his players are showing they will not crack under the pressure of the top-four race as they head into Thursday’s crucial north London derby against Tottenham. The Gunners were forced to endure a nervy finale against Leeds and also had to ride out an anxious ending in the win at West Ham last weekend. Arteta believes those experiences bode well for his team as they head into this week’s clash at Tottenham — where victory will secure Champions League qualification. ‘We are finding ways to win under pressure. We are getting better and dealing with it because we are winning matches,’ said Arteta. ‘Hopefully it’s not just about handling the nerves.’