Marsch says nerves Leeds players feel to succeed for fans has surprised him

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Leeds manager Jesse Marsch has spoken about what has surprised him since he took over the Elland Road hotseat.

In an interview with BBC Radio Leeds, the Whites boss has shared the pressure his players feel to succeed for the passionate crowd.

He said that has informed his gameplans, especially at home, to get his side on the front foot and channelling the energy of their fans in the best possible way.

“What surprised me was also a bit of the pressure that it can bring in the Aston Villa game, I could see the players were nervy because they want to achieve for the fans and they know the fans want to see them at their best,” he said.

“I said publicly I learned from that experience and I learned how to match plan and creating aggressive match plans at home is incredibly important, so we can use the energy of the crowd in a positive way.

“Also when we were at Leicester the fans were incredible and when we were at Wolves it was lights out. I think Wolves have made a very bad strategic decision to put the away fans all the way along the side of the field.

“I think maybe the away fans don’t always fill it but our supporters were there with their emotion and power and when it was 3-2 we felt that.”

Marsch has had to come in and hit the ground running, taking over at a club which was wedded to Marcelo Bielsa’s way of playing.

He has done that in most games, earning two wins which have pushed Leeds almost to the brink of safety ahead of this weekend’s clash with Watford.

Win that, and Leeds would be all but safe for the season, allowing Marsch to have one eye on his first summer in charge at Elland Road.