“I told Leeds to not sack Marcelo Bielsa” | Jesse Marsch opens up regarding support for former boss
“I told Leeds to not sack Marcelo Bielsa” | Jesse Marsch opens up regarding support for former boss
New Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch is set to make his managerial debut at the weekend against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium but in the run-up to proceedings against Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes, the former RB Leipzig boss leaped to the defense of club icon Marcelo Bielsa in the wake of his sacking.
Jesse Marsch says he told Leeds United not to sack Marcelo Bielsa until the summer. @mcgrathmike reports.https://t.co/lLE03SyDqT
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) March 3, 2022
As per the Telegraph, the American manager wanted the Argentine great to ‘finish his legacy’ at Leeds rather than be relieved of his duties before the end of the 2021-22 Premier League season. “I wanted Marcelo to finish on a high note and the club to finish on a high note with Marcelo and the fans. If it was possible for me to be the next I was very open to it.”
But despite the support levied by Marsch, the reality is that the situation he comes into on the back of the tail end of Bielsa’s regime at Elland Road is a dire one at best as the club currently sits in 16th and just two points from the bottom three. Marsch’s heart is certainly in the right place, but Leeds definitely required change.
Marsch speaks about American stigma in first Leeds press conference
As Jesse Marsch embarks on his new managerial pathway, the Wisconsin-native opened up about the stigma that exists in England and abroad when it comes to the reputation of Americans that exists in football, which has recently been spurred on by the highly popular show Ted Lasso.
LEEDS, ENGLAND – MARCH 03: Cameron Toshack (L), Assistant Manager of Leeds United and Jesse Marsch, Manager of Leeds United look on during a Leeds United Training Session at Thorp Arch Training Ground on March 03, 2022 in Leeds, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
“Yeah, I think there is probably a stigma. I’m not sure Ted Lasso helped. I haven’t watched the show, but I get it. People hate hearing the word ‘soccer.”
“More and more in the (United) States, we are adapting to what the game is here in England… I can understand that they don’t think we have the experience that can be created here in Europe. Frankly, they are right. It was the reason I came to Europe, learned German, and tried to adapt to a new culture. This is the fifth country I have coached football in and it takes me out of my comfort zone at times, challenges me to grow, and learn new things.”
