Jesse Marsch’s post-match reaction to Leeds United’s thrashing at home to title-chasers Manchester City was not what you’d normally expect to see from a manager following a 4-0 defeat at a stadium like Elland Road — especially as it was a loss that has left the Yorkshire side in serious risk of being relegated from the Premier League.
Prior to Saturday evening’s game, the American claimed that he wanted to make it a ‘pesky’ match for Pep Guardiola’s men. And when the passionate fanbase unveiled a massive tifo reading ‘Yorkshire’ across their main stand before kick-off, it seemed the cauldron that is Elland Road was going to make it a difficult afternoon for Man City.
The display was later used as ammunition for the home fans though, with the crunched-up balls of white paper aimed at Manchester City players (mostly Jack Grealish, who laughed off the bombardment) every time they approached that side of the pitch — and if it was an attempt to get in the opposition’s heads and put them off, it certainly didn’t work!
It was a drubbing for Leeds and a routine win for City, as Rodri, Nathan Aké, Gabriel Jesus and even Fernandinho all chipped in with goals. But it was a strange afternoon at Elland Road, with the buoyant atmosphere inside the ground and Marsch’s post-match ‘celebrations’ with the crowd making it feel weirdly like a Leeds win.
That’s a view shared by the former RB Leipzig boss, who later told the press: “On the scoresheet, it’s a loss, but in many ways, it feels like a win.”
The home fans might have made it feel like a victory off the pitch, but you don’t get bonus points for atmosphere and the harsh reality is that Leeds are now in real danger in the Premier League relegation odds following Everton’s shock victory over Chelsea at Goodison Park.
You could argue that the momentum is now with Frank Lampard’s men, who will send Leeds into the bottom three should they win their game in hand over the all but relegated Watford next Wednesday, if things stay the same after this weekend’s games.
Leeds’ fans won’t stop supporting their side, and they will try to make life difficult for sides at Elland Road as Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion both still need to make the trip to Yorkshire. But unless Marsch gets his men to perform better on the pitch, they will be straining their vocal cords for no reason.
They travel to Arsenal next before hosting Chelsea, which will be very difficult games as the London sides are both fighting for a place in the top four, and they will be just as hungry for the three points as Leeds as the season draws to a close. That could leave Marsch needing to beat Brighton and Brentford in their remaining two games to have any hope of staying up.
When you compare their run-in with their relegation foes Burnley and Everton, and factor in their far worse goal difference, there is certainly cause for concern for Leeds. Their next games against Arsenal and Chelsea could be decisive, especially if the Toffees can build on the victory over Thomas Tuchel’s side and pick up more points.
With four matches remaining it’s hard to truly tell how the relegation fight is going to pan out. But Leeds need to show the same fight on the pitch as their fans do off it — that’s the only way they avoid the drop at this stage!
