Jesse Marsch told he is safe for now but ‘pressure will count’ on Leeds unless one thing changes
Jesse Marsch should be safe for the time being, but Leeds United have been told to “back him” or “pressure will count” once again.
Leeds have not had the best of times in the Premier League during the past couple of seasons. That is quite the contrast to their return season in the top flight.
Indeed, after a 16-year absence, Marcelo Bielsa guided them to a ninth-placed finish in the 2020/21 season. The free-flowing, attacking football was a joy to watch from a newly-promoted side.
However, the Whites were unable to keep it up, and after Bielsa was sacked, they finished just three points above the drop zone last season, in 17th.
Indeed, Marsch has essentially had to pick up the pieces, firstly in staving off relegation last season.
This term, despite recruiting some exciting talents, the Whites continue to struggle.
Were it not for wins over Liverpool and Bournemouth of late, they might well be in the drop zone. They are currently two points above Nottingham Forest, who are in the final relegation place.
As such, it seems there is a lot of room for improvement.
Marsch safe for now
Former footballer Tam McManus believes Marsch now has some breathing room.
“He’s still going to be the manager when they play their next game,” he told Football Insider.
“I don’t see how anything changes over the next few weeks. That then puts Leeds in a really hard position if they do sack him in January then people will wonder why they didn’t get rid of him during the break.”
Indeed, Leeds have a lot of time to make a decision on the manager while the Premier League breaks for the World Cup. The fact they are 15th and have got a couple of good wins under their belt recently should mean he is safe for the time being.
However, McManus feels he needs backing so that Leeds can edge away from danger.
“He should still be there in January and the club have to back him. They need to give him what he needs to get them out of trouble,” he said.
“You can’t just have a manager there who you don’t back because you think he won’t be there long. You have to 100% back your man in that situation.”
A couple of fresh faces over the winter would not go amiss. While a few Leeds players are in good form, adding to the depth in some areas seems a wise decision.
McManus also feels more results need to go Leeds’ way for Marsch to be truly safe.
“Leeds have shown signs over the last few weeks that they know what they are doing,” he added.
“But they need to turn good games into results or pressure will count on Marsch again.”
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