The anniversary of Jess Marsch’s appointment as manager of Leeds United is just a week away but, as we know, the American coach didn’t make it.
Marsch took over in the Elland Road hot seat on 28th February 2022, following the sacking of Marcelo Bielsa. At the time the Whites sat precariously in 16th position in the Premier League and the former RB Leipzig boss steered them to safety thanks to a last day win away to Brentford.
Leeds were in 17th place when club bosses sacked Marsch two weeks ago and he left with a win ratio of 25 per cent, with only four victories in the 2022/23 campaign. This poor set of Premier League 2023 results saw the end of Marsch and Michael Skubala took over as caretaker manager.
And he is still there.
After opening up with a draw against Manchester United the interim boss lost the return to the Red Devils and then came out on the wrong side of a tight match with Everton, a game his team seemingly approached with some trepidation. In Sean Dyche, Leeds came up against a manager who knows how to win. The former Burnley man had already steered the Toffees to a win over league leaders Arsenal, and when a mistake by Leeds keeper Illan Meslier gifted Seamus Coleman a goal the game drifted away from the Yorkshiremen.
It was a tense affair and neither side pushed the boundaries, both wary of losing a six-pointer, but Leeds need to be brave now, both on and off the field, whether they stick with Skubala or not.
The Whites are in the relegation zone and the very latest Premier League 2023 betting odds reckon they will struggle to escape but, with 15 games to play, there is plenty of time to repeat the success of last season. Wins for Bournemouth and Southampton at the weekend came out of the blue and there will be many twists and turns to come. If Leeds turn the corner quickly and gather some momentum then they can pull away from danger.
UK pundit and former Tottenham Hotspur boss Tim Sherwood has said that he doesn’t expect Skubala to be in charge for Leeds’ next game at home to Southampton. So, with five days to go will we see a new man in the building this week?
Well, the search goes on after the likes of Arne Slot, Andoni Iraola and Marcelo Gallardo all proved difficult to land, while reports suggested that recently sacked Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder was surprised that he wasn’t offered the job after he flew in to watch Leeds play Manchester United last week and was shown around the club’s facilities. His agent was with him but, as rumours of an appointment surfaced there was a fan backlash at Elland Road and, for whatever reason, a deal for Schreuder didn’t materialize.
Leeds fans would presumably prefer a manager with a proven track record in the Premier League; someone like…Marcelo Bielsa!
The popular ex-Leeds man was recently linked with the Everton job, before Dyche took over at Goodison Park but surely a return to Leeds would be too high risk for all parties. The Yorkshire press has mentioned that former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo could be an option but that would presumably cost a packet to bring him back from his current work in Saudi Arabia.
And another high profile name has just surfaced in West Yorkshire this weekend. Ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez is currently doing some media work in the UK and was a TV pundit for Liverpool’s 2-0 win away to Newcastle United on Saturday. He’s a Champions League winner and a name to eclipse all others and, maybe, bring back the excitement Bielsa created at the club, but with a less gung-ho style of football.
A third new name has just dropped into the hat and not quite so well known. Former Olympiacos manager Pedro Martins is working in Qatar as boss of Al Gharafa, but he did win three league titles during his time in Greece. And one fact that Leeds fans would surely love is that Martins made former Leeds favourite Raphinha a star during their time together in Portugal, promoting the Brazilian to the first team at Vitoria Guimaraes.
And Skubala makes up the current list of runners and riders.
In their two games against Manchester United, the Whites showed a lot of fight and no little quality and they have a massive game coming up this weekend when, on Saturday they face fellow strugglers Southampton at Elland Road.
The Whites are at SBOTOP odds of 1.96 to win that six-pointer and that would be a huge victory. Who will be in the dugout remains to be seen…
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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