Jesse Marsch confident he has support of Leeds United board despite poor run of results

Growing discontent among the supporters showed itself with some of the chants after a big setback with a 2-0 defeat at a Leicester City team bottom of the table before kick-off and Marsch is now desperate for a rapid improvement in results if he is to remain in the hot seat at Elland Road.

The heady day of the 3-0 win over Chelsea already seems a long time ago with the Whites having not won a league match since August 21.

Again they were the better team for large patches at Leicester, managing almost three times the number of shots to their hosts and 9-1 on corners – City only had one shot on target in the whole 90 minutes – but problems at both ends of the pitch are beginning to seriously hamper this team.

For all the promising play at times between the two boxes the Whites have now gone more than four hours of football since they last scored a goal and continue to leak softs goals in all bar one game in their poor run – and that was because Aston Villa missed a hatful of chances.

As at Crystal Palace promising early play was undone as the opponents scored with their first serious attack – this time Robin Koch sending the ball past his own keeper as he tried to stop a low cross by Dennis Praet.

Leeds were unlucky not to be level as Luis Sinisterra hit the crossbar and numerous good positions were wasted by poor final balls or shots that lacked a bit of conviction.

Leicester then doubled their lead when Harvey Barnes scored his usual goal against the Whites – he has six in seven appearances for the Foxes against United – and there was no comeback for all the huffing and puffing to the final whistle.

Marsch remains defiant despite the latest setback and fans' reaction.

He said: "I know I'm supported by the club. We're totally unified.

“One of the things I saw even before I came is the way that the board supported Marcelo all the way, for many and everyone internally, I can only say that I felt that same support from everyone.

"When a team goes through a bad stretch, of course the coach is the first one to question. The manager is then put to the question of ‘is he doing the right things? Is he making the right decisions?’

"But we are together, we are unified from the board perspective. From the player perspective, we are doing everything we can.

"Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to help our team win matches.

"There's frustration. We make life difficult for ourselves.

"The focus is about stopping the bleeding on Sunday and getting ready for Sunday (against Fulham)."

On why he did not go over to the travelling fans at the end of the game, Marsch explained:

"At that moment I was disappointed. It’s nothing against the fans.

"I wanna say sorry to them, it had nothing to do with anything other than my focus being on Sunday.

"The fans have their right to have their feelings. I'm here, I'm doing everything I can to help this team. I like our guys, we've just got to keep pushing."

On what happened in the game Marsch added: “I think we dug ourselves a hole.

“The first one is a half chance, then an own goal. Then it’s their next chance and it’s 2-0.

“We did well in moments in the game, but right now in both boxes we’re not helping ourselves.

“When you don’t get the results, the confidence is a little bit lower. We need to find goals.

“What disappointed me the most, is that almost their first time down the pitch, they scored.

“We actually had a good start and were in control of the match, but we lose the ball in the middle and they get an own goal, then the match gets harder.

“We’ve got to find a way to get some wins and right now, away from home, we haven’t been great.

“So, we’ve got to go back to Elland Road, it’s a big, big match on Sunday and we have to be ready for it."

Jesse Marsch confident goals will come after Leeds United's unlucky 1-0 defeat to Arsenal

Brenden Aaronson and Sinisterra looked lively for Leeds in the first half, but Patrick Bamford again looked rusty up front and Marsch's surprise choice to start Crysencio Summerville ahead of Jack Harrison on the flank did not quite work out, although he came close to scoring with a shot that went just past the post.

Defensive errors proved costly on the two Leicester goals and left the Whites with a mountain to climb, which they never really looked like making despite the head coach ringing the changes in the second half.

Leeds looked a little more solid after the break after Liam Cooper – left out in favour of Diego Llorente at the start – came on for the booked and out of sorts Koch.

In fact the hosts hardly threatened a third goal, but they did not have to as United only managed two efforts effort on target – Cooper's header after Llorente's overhead kick from a corner was blocked by teammate Bamford and late on when Mateusz Klich's chip was grabbed on his line by home stopper Danny Ward.

Leicester City 2

(Koch og 17, Barnes 35)

Leeds United 0

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Premier League

Leicester: Ward; Castagne, Faes, Amartey, Justin; Soumare (Mendy 64), Tielemans; Praet (Perez 70), Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes (Iheanacho 85); Vardy (Daka 64).

Leeds: Meslier; Kristensen, Koch (Cooper 45), Llorente, Firpo (Klich 82); Adams, Roca (Rodrigo 45); Summerville, Aaronson, Sinisterra (Gelhardt 75); Bamford (Harrison 65).

Referee: Peter Bankes