Leeds United defender Robin Koch says the manner in which they now defend is the main difference between Jesse Marsch and Marcelo Bielsa.
Marsch replaced Bielsa at Elland Road in February last year, with Leeds’ board electing to bring an end to the Argentine’s thrilling four years in charge.
During that time, he had established himself as an icon in Yorkshire, introducing a high-energy, exciting brand of football that helped Leeds return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.
They then stayed up the following year by playing that same brand of football but a raft of injuries last season left them scrapping for survival and a change was made.
Marsch was quickly brought in as his replacement, with Leeds’ hierarchy insisting his brand of football would mean an easy transition for the squad.
The American is yet to completely implement his style, but the change is there nonetheless, and Koch believes there is one major difference.
“We had extreme injury problems last season and slipped into the bottom,” he told Sport Buzzer.
“We strengthened ourselves well in the summer, our squad is now broader, we have high quality. It was also important to have a complete preparation with Jesse Marsch.
“It was simply a matter of keeping us in the league. He used the summer to teach us his idea of the game.
“We defend more collectively under him. That’s the main difference to Marcelo Bielsa. There, we defended more man-to-man.
“I was able to learn a lot under him (Bielsa) and have developed a lot thanks to him. He is crazy about football and has incredible expertise. He demands a lot. The training is extremely intense. You have to follow along as a player and be willing to learn.”
