Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker has laid into Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch, saying we are now seeing the real-life Ted Lasso.
Marsch replaced Marcelo Bielsa as the club’s manager earlier this season, and had a decent start to life at Elland Road but things have faded away of late. Indeed, the Whites find themselves in the relegation zone with two games left to play, with Burnley having a game in hand.
Speaking on the BBC Radio Five Live Football Daily Podcast, Reo-Coker criticised Marsch, saying, “I can’t speak for him in that sense, but in my relegation battle with West Ham the big characters took over the dressing room and every game was a cup final for us. We made sure nobody let the team down. For us it was the big characters, and that’s something we seem to be missing in football clubs these days. I know Jesse has come in and that’s something of a honeymoon period, but now, that honeymoon period has started to die down and we’re seeing the real life Ted Lasso.”
TIF Thoughts on Reo-Coker’s comments
Yes, we get it. Jokes about managers from the U.S are easy to make. However, long gone are the days when the States were a footballing wilderness – now, they are to be taken seriously on the world stage. Marsch has a strong pedigree in European football, having managed in Austria and Germany and, while he struggled at RB Leipzig, he earned plenty of praise for the way he set up his Red Bull Salzburg team.
Will Leeds stay up?
Yes
No
He is a motivator, and while some of his methods may be a little unusual, that does not mean they are incorrect. Bielsa is a legend in the world of football, but he was unable to get a tune out of the squad towards the end of his reign at Elland Road. Why should he be lauded and Marsch mocked? It remains to be seen whether Leeds stay in the Premier League, but they have a man at the helm who is capable of keeping them amongst the elite.