Not until I watched a live match with a friend who had played in Europe and broke things down for as Max has done did I really start to appreciate the game. The more you understand the more you love it. This is a great resource! Looking forward to watching Wobber, Rutter, and Mckennie elevate the quality of the team within the system.
Excellent Video Max, clear, precise and informative your up there with Sky's Jeff Sterling mate just younger and better looking... gives me some faith that Jesse knows what he's doing...MOT...ALAW
Mate I just wanted to thank you for putting in all this time and effort, and apologise form some of the simplistic and uniformed views some of our supports have, and the bottom line is you are correct, they neither cannot sit through the entire video, nor can they grasp the coincepts therein. I played ina top academy in Greece in the 1970s, in the lower German divisions back in the 1980s, and then coached military and youth squads in the States and Europe and tactics were a common staple everywhere. Even in my academy as a young lad easily one-third of our training time was sitting in front of a chalk board with Xs Os, tactics, formations, and when we had the luxury later in Germany, short opponent scouting films and the early versions of videos. It was painstaking and took players long periods of time to digest it all. What knobs who think they know it all just by going to ER or watching on the telly do not understand is that what you presented here is massively rudimentary compared to what players, scouts coaching staffs, etc have to digest on a daily basis, and the sheer volume of information available to them in the digital age. It's really staggering. You barely scratched the surface and what you have tried to is distill season long elements of permutations and combinations into 27minutes. My conclusion has long been that a smart bloke like Jesse, a Princeton U graduate, sometimes forgets how simple minded some footballers can be. You can tell that by his praise of new recruit's "intelligence" when he speaks about them in the media. His system is far, far more complex and intricate than any of the ball possession stuff we played under Bielsa. In fact, the whole man-marking element, once Prem teams got over its novelty, was so rudimentary that we started shipping goals for reasons far different---but still far more-- than we are today. As a good mate of mine who is a retired college professor wryly noted: Jesse needs to keep it simple, he does not need to turn every presser into a PhD dissertation defence. All that does is give his many vocal haters fodder to slate him further. Just short answers, get on with it already and get us some points. Thank you again for trying to educate the masses who think that watching games and playing FM 23 make them more qualified than people who have devoted their entire lives to the game. MOT
Thank you for commenting! That was a really interesting read and you sound like you've had a very interesting life and your insight is great! Yeah I tried to just cram the fundamentals of Jesse's idea into a video so that people who said that he has no tactics could see how ridiculous that statement is. Like you say, there will be so much more that goes into it than just what I have explained!
@@LeedsLately I just watched your "Windows Rating" video again and realized that you had seeded my mind while I was working (while listening along), and I later commented to you about making this kind of vid on tactics. When I first saw this latest video, I thought you had done me a personal favor! 😝🤣⚽🍻 MOT
Masterclass video for this channel. He brought in Chris Armas for what I can only assume is his defending solution. I think Marsch will improve the attack with Rutter but Armas has to advise him and the defense. Armas did sully his reputation last job but the defense did improve while he was there.
Thank you so much, mate! Imo, everyone should share this video! This is EXACTLY what people need to see more of to understand, appreciate, and/or criticize more effectively. Your clarity on tactic, both strengths and weaknesses, is clearly much better than most of what I've seen. I will try to get more people to view this vid! Your discussion on the problems plaguiing our defence was key for me (i.e., the rest defence). I also learned a LOT from your focus on the SPECIFICS of the system front, mid, and back. You really brought a MASSIVE amount knowledge and insight in this video, brother. Now we just need to see the mind meld happen and get some solid results! MOT ⚽🔥🤍✊🏽
Very good analysis, both the offense and defense. At 9:02, you say the fullback "likes to sit on the exact center." That is THE problem, and it has nothing to do with the way Jesse wants to play, it has to do with that weak side defender making a smart decision about positioning against the weak side opponent. I find it astonishing that some of the Leeds defenders, in arguably the best league in the world, make the classic youth soccer mistake of ball watching. Moreover, this weak side defender is not processing the fact that ball side, the defender on the dribbler has cover, as your board positioning showed. It's not your job at that moment to worry about the man with the ball. That is the job of the OTHER defenders. DON"T TURN YOUR HEAD to the BALL. Know where the man without the ball is weak side. I have zero doubt that Jesse has harped on this defect in video sessions. On the subject of this defensive lapse. you know how Jesse has asked Meslier to be more of "leader" out there? Well, Meslier is incredibly gifted, but he is also very young and simply has not been consistently vocal in organizing the defense in front of him. He has to do a better job of that. So you are right, later when you say during your discussion of the "rest" defense, the players are not doing what they are supposed to do. On offense, the Red Bull principles are based on two fundamental realities: most goals are scored quickly on turnovers and most goals are scored from positions inside the box. That why the most dangerous attacking crosses are what you called the "stingers" -- or what are sometimes called "crosses to the second 6"-- i.e., the imaginary line through the box that bisects the penalty spot. And the most important thing to do is score. The Red Bull system puts emphasis first and foremost on scoring as you note, and rightfully so. And also on NOT losing. That's why Leeds can come back from deficits. Losses are the killer for every team including ones vying for the top spots. If you lose more than 6 games, your probability of winning the league is low. If you lose more than 10 games, you will more often than not fail to secure a Champion's league spot. If you look at the bottom of the table, the teams bringing up the rear simply cannot score. Everton, for one, is in trouble even if Pep went to manage them. It is why Everton and the other sorry sides are all sitting on double digit losses right now and are probably destined for more. Finally, the way Leeds is now constructed, you can play face up against any team in the Premier League, except for Man City and perhaps Arsenal away, since you played them tough at home. Everybody else is beatable. You couldn't say that last year. You will still lose games -- I thought at the beginning of year you would lose 15 at least, but given how the side has improved, that might be too pessimistic. I guess we will see!!
Facts. Today's game Fulham vs Chelsea, Chelsea had an attack on one side of the pitch Antoine Robinson, (fulham leftback) while sprinting back was looking at the weak side attacker instead of the ball and ADJUSTED HIS POSITIONING to cut off the switch. It comes down to player IQ which leads to perfect position.
@@LeedsLately Thanks! I have subscribed in my small effort to get you to 5K subscribers. Someone as sensible as you deserves a much larger audience. As an American, I have to admit I want Jesse and our boys to succeed, because this is a key inflection point for American football. The EPL will always be the best in the world, so if our guys can fit into this league, and be players -- and managers -- the meet that test, it will take us to the level I know we can achieve. This is why the 49ers are pushing their chips to the center of table. -- they know this can be absolutely huge. I have been watching soccer for the last 20 years - yes, I will use that word -- and I have never been more optimistic about our possibilities on the world stage. And we have had great players in the past...Landon Donovan at Everton, Brian McBride at Fulham and Clint Dempsey at Fulham and Spurs.. It's now the time to take it to the next level. WE can and SHOULD hold our own in your great league.
@@jamesosa3482 Jedi Robinson has been first choice starter for the US National team over this past cycle, and rightfully so. He has had his defensive lapses, but his quality is obvious. Baring injury and a significant drop in form, he will be our left full back through the next world cup cycle.
Meslier can't position himself correctly for free kicks or command/dominate his area or kick the ball out to his teammates consistently, so expecting him to organise the defence is just not on. We need a top class goalkeeping coach to give him better advice than he's had. He's got massive potential and can often be brilliant but he's still a bit raw round the edges.
Excellent video and amazing channel! I have been watching Leeds United youtube content for years now and this is by far my favourite channel. Your knowledge of the game and of the way Leeds play is second to none. I finish every video having learned more about Leeds United or their players. Also, so much Leeds United content on TH-cam is inherently negative and pessimistic. You are honest when you don't like something or don't agree with something Leeds related but you are a pure negative Nancy which is why I really enjoy watching your videos. Your videos help me understand my team better so thank you. And they help me have more fun following them and watching them too. Good luck with the channel
Great video, Max. Thanks. One point I disagree on: many commentators keep repeating the criticism that Jessie plays narrow as if we have no width at all. But there is width to our style, and not just via the fullbacks: we quite often see forwards like Willie, Sinnie, even Jack working the ball down the touch line; not as often as with Marcelo, but it is not just the fullbacks who overlap.
Watch carefully and you'll see that the ball is played square wide. We rarely deploy a diagonal ball forward to a wide player. I'm going to keep saying this until people master the idea: Jesse does not want a player to make a run ahead of the ball carrier because they will be out of position for the transition. A player out wide cannot join a pressing net in the middle of the pitch and no, you do not see our players position themselves in that way. It's to cry over because we have *so much* dribbling talent. Imagine if we actually used the width of the pitch and allowed Willy and Aaronson to run at players from space.
Really enjoyed that. Probably the best video you’ve done. I’d grasped how being so compact creates the defensive net but your diagram and explanation of the net as an attacking formation makes so much sense of our narrow play. You’re probably right that some of those balls in behind the FB’s are because they tuck in too far in error but it happens too often not to be an instruction from Jesse. If it isn’t then why let it go on so long without tweaking it? With a three man midfield we should stop playing so many long balls up to Sinisterra and Gnonto and instead play quick balls into midfield and leverage the extra man to get more accurate shorter balls into the forwards. Top stuff👏👍🙌
Thanks for commenting, glad you enjoyed it! Yeah I actually enjoy making those previews but not many people seem to want to watch them unless it's against a massive club like arsenal or something
What a fantastic video. I really needed this. Very well explained indeed. A must watch for every leeds fan, especially those who are determined to say jesse has no tactics blah blah blah. Thanks to you and also to Locky Leeds for these educational videos. I would also like to know what double pivot means and if (or how) it is used in the tactics. Cheers 👍👍
Thanks mate really appreciate that, a double pivot just refers to two holding midfielders next to eachother I.e. Adams and Roca. When we had Kalvin Phillips he was a single pivot as he played that position alone. A pivot is just another word for defensive midfielder
Jesse doesn't have any tactics. I watch games. I can see for myself. I don't need somebody playing about with a tactics board to explain things to me. We're neither one thing nor the other and we struggle to impose ourselves and win games. A double pivot is nonsense because you can only pivot on one thing. It's either a pivot or it isn't.
Thanks Max. Appreciate your take on tactics we’re trying to play. You’ve addressed the good and the bad and how both can potentially be improved. Can’t believe some of the comments on here. Keep doing what your doing and you’ll get to 5k subscribers very soon.
Top video Max, really well researched. I feel like we have the players to make Jesse's tactics work, but it's individual errors that keep costing us. The free attacker at the back post is Under 11's stuff, but we continually appear to be caught out with it. I'm hoping that Bamford back fit and leading the press from the front, a bit more solidity with Wes and Tyler, and Wober marshalling the back four and the spine of the team looks solid
I have ended up here as a Leicester fan with Jesse looking likely to take charge of us. Quite interesting, I am a little less pessimistic now so thanks but I am still concerned with the defensive side which you have mentioned has cost you at times. Great video and I did have to laugh when I saw the date this was posted then checked that Marsch was sacked 3 days later!
Hi mate, yeah in theory Marsch system doesn't sound bad, and it has worked for him before at Salzburg. A lot of us leeds fans think that is only because he had the best players in the league. At Leeds we struggled badly under him to retain possession and our passing stats were awful. There is too much emphasis on how fast the counter attacks should be and the team ends up panicking and losing the ball far too often. The only reason we stayed up last season was the quality of Raphinha and Jack Harrison being able to get us over the line. I'm quite positive so I tried to back Marsch no matter what, but in the end he was not providing anywhere near enough points, we hadn't won a game in so long in the league that he had to go. I worry for Leicester should they appoint him, if they stay up it could be more to do with individual talent than Coaching!
@@LeedsLately not filling me with optimism there 😂 I think we have the quality to stay up but the players are totally devoid of confidence so as long as he can motivate them we might have a chance but yeah Im hoping it's a short term appointment! 🙈
I think Diogo Monterio, long term, will be invaluable in reading the game and dealing with problems by nipping them in the bud. Paolo Maldini 'if I have to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake'.
Marsch is adapting his tactics as the season has developed. For example, Meslier at the beginning of the season was trying to play out to his defenders but Meslier looks as if hasn't got the ball skill to do that, often gifting the ball to the opposition. So now, Marsch has instructed to Meslier to clear up field with a big clearance (where the opposition pick up the ball and attack again) away from immediate danger.
My slight issue is something you mentioned right at the end. We attack in a 424 formation, and especially with Rodrigo, all 4 attackers are trying similar kind of things so they form a horizontal line in front of the defence. With Bamford, he's more able to make runs in behind and more able to play with his back to goal than Rodrigo. This is why he's so important to our team. He is able to vary his play to set up others or create opportunities for himself.
In Jesse's tactical "plan" no player is supposed to run beyond the player with the ball. This is so that they're not out of position if the ball carrier loses the ball.
So for all the Jesse haters maybe it’s not Jesse but it’s the players just need to get to grips with the tactics, as Jesse said in one of the interviews it’s finally coming together the goals will come trust in the system we’ll be fine
Great video. The thing is for me, the players just aren’t looking around, it happens all the time. Fullbacks go narrow and don’t look around to see the free man BUT the arriving defensive midfielder ls do it as well and don’t get in position to block the shirt from the edge of the box. It’s endemic in this team. This should have been coached out a LONG time ago. It’s such a shame because going forward the vision is excellent.
Would you entertain McKennie at right CB next to Wober for the Nottingham game? Worrying signals from Everton's win, we need to show strength and deliver results.
Playing passes from the back into midfield was Bielsa's tactic. We don't do this under Jesse at all. The defenders are instructed to hoof it. It's all about getting the ball away in the first instance and worry about the second phase later. It's why we're so bad.
I was passing from the back into the midfield by the age of 10, as well. 😁So, there's that. You do realize that many managers borrow from each other and constantly diversify their tactical philosophies, yes? We have more personnel in place to implement. Remember, we cannot outspend many in the top 6, so we have to strategize differently.
Watch a game, and then count how many times Meslier boots it out when he has time on the ball, and when he passes to an open player. THEN come back and say what you have said. Until you have numbers, this is just bloviating.
It was a disaster when we tried to play out from the back last season, though -- IIRC we conceded more goals from losing the ball in our third than any other EPL side. Our defensive players just aren't very good on the ball for the most part. The other problem is that we have lacked an outlet to go long with Sini/Bamford being out for so long. Hopefully their return, plus the addition of Rutter makes a big difference in this area. Part of the reason why we can't hold a lead is because we aren't very press resistant at the back, but when we go long the opposing CB/DM vacuums the ball up 95% of the time. Which means that if we abandon our counter press and park the bus we have to defend for extended periods inside our own penalty box. Something we struggle to do effectively
Hi Max, thanks for clarifying our tactics for the fans. I am loving this squad! I’m tired of hearing about Bielsa (legend), so this is ironic. I wanted Bielsa gone in the end, and my reasoning was because he refused to defend zones. We still don’t defend zones, so what have we gained? In fact, the holes seem more gaping than ever before! We can’t afford to have ALL of our defenders forward, nor ALL on the ball. We can play all of the chaotic and manic attacks that you want to in the forward half, but in our own half, we need to be calm, clear-headed, and organised zonally. We are routinely being outflanked, and that’s pretty much the manner in which every battle, EVER, was lost. Every opponent knows that if they switch the ball from within our defensive third, they’re in on goal unmarked!!! Is a back 3 the solution???
Adams just need to play a more disciplined holding role like he did for the USA at the World Cup and like Phillips did for us. His first thought should always be to defend and protect the back four, and at times he goes forward too much and presses high and it leaves gaps.
3 minutes in and (defensively) this system relies on magic and idiot opponents who can't hit balls into the acres of space created by this pressing system. Every time it doesn't work there's an immediate attacking overlap/over-match even if they don't hit it long. In a lot of cases a double overlap. I've seen game after game where we've been shredded wide and pulled apart like a rotisserie chicken because there's no hope of defending space during the rabid weasel recovery run. While there are teams this will work against (tiki taka impersonators mostly) there needs to be something else so we don't get stuffed by the likes of Brentford. I'd happily swap being confident of beating teams of that level in exchange for losing against every top 5 team. Going forward it's great, a little narrow and one dimensional but it's certainly workable. Also I think the narrowness in attack is more about being able to execute the press more efficiently if possession is conceded, which is a bit weird tbh. Granted I'm old but it just feels so... spreadsheety and feels like it's come out of a computer. If it works, I won't care, obviously, but I'm so sus on it.
The style is more German than anything really, i agree that it can leave us vulnerable but really, there is no perfect game plan, otherwise everyone would be doing it, every team has strengths and weaknesses, our strength is definitely going forward, and because of that we are always going to be slightly weaker defensively, but if we can fix a few small issues we should chop our conceded goals in half!
@@LeedsLately Thanks for the reply, and I agree. I'm not asking for a catennacio, just maybe a little more tactical flexibility to soft press less technical sides so we can defend space and force them to play through on the ground. Whatever I think, Marsch now has to deliver over then next 5 games or else. He seems good for the players so I want this to work.
now with Rodri injured, Bamford need to stay fit (he is a 3 legged horse by this point) and Rutter is untested. If Bam gets injured again and Rutter isnt what we hoped he is, we have a major problem, Gnonto and Sini is gonna score from time to time but neither of them are center forwards (Imagine Gnonto playing alone up front against two massive center defenders) but hopefully some things will go our way, Hell even if everything goes to shit, there might be 3 teams that are worse. Bournemouth is going down, but who will the other 2 be? With Lampard at the helm, Everton would go down but now Im not so sure, will Nott F suffer near the end of the season as the new comer? Will West Ham, Wolves and Southampton continue to be shit? Wolves is a much better team than what they have shown. Lets hope Fulham collapse and go down like they tend to hehe. But Im really fearing the 18th spot, just like I did last season. Wøber has been a blessing and Koch seems more stable with him next by him (you know, Germans..) Time to make Adams our Captain and Wøber vice-captain. Having Cooper and Bamford as leaders isnt enough, they are to quit and stand offish, we need more oomphh. anyway, MOT
Could you imagine if we hadn't signed rutter though, we would be solely reliant on a perpetually injured Bamford and after that maybe untested youth players like perkins and Joseph, so it's a good job we signed rutter!
A great video, I feel you have put more effort in than Marsch actually does 🤣. Not sure he goes in this depth...it's just kick and rush at times. Surely, no one would employ the tactics Leeds do on purpose? 🤣
@@dau1024 if sat and watched a year of Marschball. And I've seen is get worse, depsite having amuch better squad. The football is awful to watch and it's not getting us anywhere. We have quality wide players that are being wasted. I could coach a team to score against us... Long ball out wide...goal
This has mostly come from the horses mouth, from Marschs own explanation of things, so he is trying to implement this sometimes I do think there are flaws that he causes, but also the players let him down sometimes too
You can't win the ball every time, this produces a gap that we could then be outnumbered and could concede a goal on a break. We play too narrow. When we play wider we score more
Most of the goals and threats to Leeds are created in transition when the opposition break forward and we have two defenders madly scrambling back against 3 or 4 of their attackers eg. Brentford, Toney and Mwuembo. Meslier looks as if he has been instructed to be sweeper but his timing can be awful. Heading out or clattering attacker and risking a red card.
I enjoyed the video but I'm sceptical that we have scored many goals from "stinger crosses" or any sort of crosses. And nobody can play as fast as Jesse wants lol. It's relative to the opposition. When you're Salzburg you're sufficiently better than the other team that you are moving sufficiently quicker than them. I am sorry that I didn't like your discussion of rest defence because actually Jesse's tactical plan is ALL rest defence. Do you remember Graham Turner? You aren't really old enough but it's clear that this whole tactic derives from his guru (whose name I can't remember). His whole thing was that most goals come within like three passes. And Marsch has taken that to its ultimate. It's all about transitions, turning it over when the opponent cannot reorganise quickly enough, giving space at the edge of the box. Rodrigo is feasting because this system gives him the opportunity to shoot from the edge of the box. He does not pop in "stinger crosses" lol.
Yes but rodrigo or the striker isn't the person who will be doing that, we saw Harrison do one against accrington and sinisterra scored from it, it is the RAM and LAM if you will that will be doing that.
@@LeedsLately Yes, you're right. Rodrigo has done it when he's dropped back to pick up the ball but he's looking to get a "wide" player with a bit of space against a disorganised defence. It does work. We've seen it. But you have to ask yourself how happy you are when so many of our goals are a moment of magic. I mean, it's great to see! But we've had more than a few games where the opposition just didn't allow anyone to get free.
Also this is fine when we are trying to go 1-0 up. But once we do, Jesse's doesn't know how to control a game, how to pass the ball around and slow the game down, that's why we can not keep a lead. Over a year and it's still the same... He's just not tactically aware. With him in charge we won't go anywhere. Time for him to go.
It's never going to work long term another issue with marsch is using subs too late to be effective, still lacking a left back, and centre backs now, if we get injuries at the back we have a real problem
![[UNCUT] The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์ EP.15 (3/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IVwR87OH0_A/mqdefault.jpg)
Not until I watched a live match with a friend who had played in Europe and broke things down for as Max has done did I really start to appreciate the game. The more you understand the more you love it. This is a great resource! Looking forward to watching Wobber, Rutter, and Mckennie elevate the quality of the team within the system.
Thanks Andrew, glad you enjoyed!
If you understand tactics, you'll come to hate it, trust me.
Hope Jesse's watched this, ffs.
No one else does this for leeds far as I know. Love your work. Cheers
Excellent Video Max, clear, precise and informative your up there with Sky's Jeff Sterling mate just younger and better looking... gives me some faith that Jesse knows what he's doing...MOT...ALAW
Thanks Richard appreciate that 🤣⚽️
Mate I just wanted to thank you for putting in all this time and effort, and apologise form some of the simplistic and uniformed views some of our supports have, and the bottom line is you are correct, they neither cannot sit through the entire video, nor can they grasp the coincepts therein. I played ina top academy in Greece in the 1970s, in the lower German divisions back in the 1980s, and then coached military and youth squads in the States and Europe and tactics were a common staple everywhere. Even in my academy as a young lad easily one-third of our training time was sitting in front of a chalk board with Xs Os, tactics, formations, and when we had the luxury later in Germany, short opponent scouting films and the early versions of videos. It was painstaking and took players long periods of time to digest it all. What knobs who think they know it all just by going to ER or watching on the telly do not understand is that what you presented here is massively rudimentary compared to what players, scouts coaching staffs, etc have to digest on a daily basis, and the sheer volume of information available to them in the digital age. It's really staggering. You barely scratched the surface and what you have tried to is distill season long elements of permutations and combinations into 27minutes. My conclusion has long been that a smart bloke like Jesse, a Princeton U graduate, sometimes forgets how simple minded some footballers can be. You can tell that by his praise of new recruit's "intelligence" when he speaks about them in the media. His system is far, far more complex and intricate than any of the ball possession stuff we played under Bielsa. In fact, the whole man-marking element, once Prem teams got over its novelty, was so rudimentary that we started shipping goals for reasons far different---but still far more-- than we are today. As a good mate of mine who is a retired college professor wryly noted: Jesse needs to keep it simple, he does not need to turn every presser into a PhD dissertation defence. All that does is give his many vocal haters fodder to slate him further. Just short answers, get on with it already and get us some points. Thank you again for trying to educate the masses who think that watching games and playing FM 23 make them more qualified than people who have devoted their entire lives to the game. MOT
Thank you for commenting! That was a really interesting read and you sound like you've had a very interesting life and your insight is great! Yeah I tried to just cram the fundamentals of Jesse's idea into a video so that people who said that he has no tactics could see how ridiculous that statement is. Like you say, there will be so much more that goes into it than just what I have explained!
Just watched it again, and it is the best video on Leeds tactic I've seen yet. Get the word out and help the channel. Excellent job, Max! 🍻⚽ MOT
Legend! Thanks!
@@LeedsLately I just watched your "Windows Rating" video again and realized that you had seeded my mind while I was working (while listening along), and I later commented to you about making this kind of vid on tactics. When I first saw this latest video, I thought you had done me a personal favor! 😝🤣⚽🍻 MOT
Watch John McKenzie for Tifo. It's an excellent explanation of Leeds' tactic from someone who's not riding Jesse's dick.
Brilliant vid, I’ll look for these next game. Jessie in! MOT.
That was great Max , learnt alot watching that , appreciate it 👍
Good video.... Well presented and informative..... Still Jesse in here too....cheers... mot
Masterclass video for this channel. He brought in Chris Armas for what I can only assume is his defending solution. I think Marsch will improve the attack with Rutter but Armas has to advise him and the defense. Armas did sully his reputation last job but the defense did improve while he was there.
He's just another Red Bull coach, which means he has absolutely no interest in organising the defence.
I hope they brought him in to do more than drink red bull
Thank you so much, mate! Imo, everyone should share this video! This is EXACTLY what people need to see more of to understand, appreciate, and/or criticize more effectively. Your clarity on tactic, both strengths and weaknesses, is clearly much better than most of what I've seen. I will try to get more people to view this vid! Your discussion on the problems plaguiing our defence was key for me (i.e., the rest defence). I also learned a LOT from your focus on the SPECIFICS of the system front, mid, and back. You really brought a MASSIVE amount knowledge and insight in this video, brother. Now we just need to see the mind meld happen and get some solid results! MOT ⚽🔥🤍✊🏽
Thanks mate really appreciate that!
@@LeedsLately Thank YOU! It really helped me see the game with fresh eyes and insight. 🙏🏽🏆
Very good analysis, both the offense and defense. At 9:02, you say the fullback "likes to sit on the exact center." That is THE problem, and it has nothing to do with the way Jesse wants to play, it has to do with that weak side defender making a smart decision about positioning against the weak side opponent. I find it astonishing that some of the Leeds defenders, in arguably the best league in the world, make the classic youth soccer mistake of ball watching. Moreover, this weak side defender is not processing the fact that ball side, the defender on the dribbler has cover, as your board positioning showed. It's not your job at that moment to worry about the man with the ball. That is the job of the OTHER defenders. DON"T TURN YOUR HEAD to the BALL. Know where the man without the ball is weak side. I have zero doubt that Jesse has harped on this defect in video sessions.
On the subject of this defensive lapse. you know how Jesse has asked Meslier to be more of "leader" out there? Well, Meslier is incredibly gifted, but he is also very young and simply has not been consistently vocal in organizing the defense in front of him. He has to do a better job of that. So you are right, later when you say during your discussion of the "rest" defense, the players are not doing what they are supposed to do.
On offense, the Red Bull principles are based on two fundamental realities: most goals are scored quickly on turnovers and most goals are scored from positions inside the box. That why the most dangerous attacking crosses are what you called the "stingers" -- or what are sometimes called "crosses to the second 6"-- i.e., the imaginary line through the box that bisects the penalty spot. And the most important thing to do is score. The Red Bull system puts emphasis first and foremost on scoring as you note, and rightfully so. And also on NOT losing. That's why Leeds can come back from deficits. Losses are the killer for every team including ones vying for the top spots. If you lose more than 6 games, your probability of winning the league is low. If you lose more than 10 games, you will more often than not fail to secure a Champion's league spot. If you look at the bottom of the table, the teams bringing up the rear simply cannot score. Everton, for one, is in trouble even if Pep went to manage them. It is why Everton and the other sorry sides are all sitting on double digit losses right now and are probably destined for more.
Finally, the way Leeds is now constructed, you can play face up against any team in the Premier League, except for Man City and perhaps Arsenal away, since you played them tough at home. Everybody else is beatable. You couldn't say that last year. You will still lose games -- I thought at the beginning of year you would lose 15 at least, but given how the side has improved, that might be too pessimistic. I guess we will see!!
Thanks for commenting Karl, enjoyed reading that, totally agree with everything you've said!
Facts. Today's game Fulham vs Chelsea, Chelsea had an attack on one side of the pitch Antoine Robinson, (fulham leftback) while sprinting back was looking at the weak side attacker instead of the ball and ADJUSTED HIS POSITIONING to cut off the switch. It comes down to player IQ which leads to perfect position.
@@LeedsLately Thanks! I have subscribed in my small effort to get you to 5K subscribers. Someone as sensible as you deserves a much larger audience. As an American, I have to admit I want Jesse and our boys to succeed, because this is a key inflection point for American football. The EPL will always be the best in the world, so if our guys can fit into this league, and be players -- and managers -- the meet that test, it will take us to the level I know we can achieve. This is why the 49ers are pushing their chips to the center of table. -- they know this can be absolutely huge. I have been watching soccer for the last 20 years - yes, I will use that word -- and I have never been more optimistic about our possibilities on the world stage. And we have had great players in the past...Landon Donovan at Everton, Brian McBride at Fulham and Clint Dempsey at Fulham and Spurs.. It's now the time to take it to the next level. WE can and SHOULD hold our own in your great league.
@@jamesosa3482 Jedi Robinson has been first choice starter for the US National team over this past cycle, and rightfully so. He has had his defensive lapses, but his quality is obvious. Baring injury and a significant drop in form, he will be our left full back through the next world cup cycle.
Meslier can't position himself correctly for free kicks or command/dominate his area or kick the ball out to his teammates consistently, so expecting him to organise the defence is just not on. We need a top class goalkeeping coach to give him better advice than he's had.
He's got massive potential and can often be brilliant but he's still a bit raw round the edges.
Excellent video and amazing channel! I have been watching Leeds United youtube content for years now and this is by far my favourite channel. Your knowledge of the game and of the way Leeds play is second to none. I finish every video having learned more about Leeds United or their players. Also, so much Leeds United content on TH-cam is inherently negative and pessimistic. You are honest when you don't like something or don't agree with something Leeds related but you are a pure negative Nancy which is why I really enjoy watching your videos. Your videos help me understand my team better so thank you. And they help me have more fun following them and watching them too. Good luck with the channel
Thanks Michael really appreciate that comment
Great video man. Keep doing what you are doing!
Great video, Max. Thanks. One point I disagree on: many commentators keep repeating the criticism that Jessie plays narrow as if we have no width at all. But there is width to our style, and not just via the fullbacks: we quite often see forwards like Willie, Sinnie, even Jack working the ball down the touch line; not as often as with Marcelo, but it is not just the fullbacks who overlap.
Yeah sometimes it is the only option to go wide and it can be viable, but in an ideal situation for marsch they'd use the half lanes
Watch carefully and you'll see that the ball is played square wide. We rarely deploy a diagonal ball forward to a wide player. I'm going to keep saying this until people master the idea: Jesse does not want a player to make a run ahead of the ball carrier because they will be out of position for the transition. A player out wide cannot join a pressing net in the middle of the pitch and no, you do not see our players position themselves in that way. It's to cry over because we have *so much* dribbling talent. Imagine if we actually used the width of the pitch and allowed Willy and Aaronson to run at players from space.
Excellent video explaining the tactics. Well done! Subscribed!!
Thanks and welcome to the channel!
Very educational , thx.
Awesome, really explained well 👏
Glad it was helpful! Cheers mate!
Great stream again Max thanks
Really enjoyed that. Probably the best video you’ve done. I’d grasped how being so compact creates the defensive net but your diagram and explanation of the net as an attacking formation makes so much sense of our narrow play.
You’re probably right that some of those balls in behind the FB’s are because they tuck in too far in error but it happens too often not to be an instruction from Jesse. If it isn’t then why let it go on so long without tweaking it?
With a three man midfield we should stop playing so many long balls up to Sinisterra and Gnonto and instead play quick balls into midfield and leverage the extra man to get more accurate shorter balls into the forwards.
Top stuff👏👍🙌
Meant to also say…
I’d really enjoy watching you do preview videos analysing opponents tactics and how we should defend and attack them
Thanks for commenting, glad you enjoyed it! Yeah I actually enjoy making those previews but not many people seem to want to watch them unless it's against a massive club like arsenal or something
Excellent presentation. Thankyou. MOT.
Glad you enjoyed it! cheers John!
Really interesting Max - thanks mate MOT
Thanks Ashley!
What a fantastic video. I really needed this. Very well explained indeed. A must watch for every leeds fan, especially those who are determined to say jesse has no tactics blah blah blah. Thanks to you and also to Locky Leeds for these educational videos. I would also like to know what double pivot means and if (or how) it is used in the tactics. Cheers 👍👍
Thanks mate really appreciate that, a double pivot just refers to two holding midfielders next to eachother I.e. Adams and Roca. When we had Kalvin Phillips he was a single pivot as he played that position alone. A pivot is just another word for defensive midfielder
Jesse doesn't have any tactics. I watch games. I can see for myself. I don't need somebody playing about with a tactics board to explain things to me. We're neither one thing nor the other and we struggle to impose ourselves and win games. A double pivot is nonsense because you can only pivot on one thing. It's either a pivot or it isn't.
@Clive T you didn't even watch the video, did you Clive? Try and educate yourself 😉
@@clivet3252 Are you working for scum, or something?! 😆C'mon, let something sink in and appreciate the beautiful game, mate! MOT ✊🏽
@@LeedsLately I saw a bit of it. Whose he to educate me? What does he know more than me?
Great stuff
Thanks Max. Appreciate your take on tactics we’re trying to play. You’ve addressed the good and the bad and how both can potentially be improved. Can’t believe some of the comments on here. Keep doing what your doing and you’ll get to 5k subscribers very soon.
Thanks Steve, really appreciate your support!
Great video that helped me understand where the problems are and what we can do to improve
Great video,Wish we had a channel like yours! Hopefully he can get this right for saints and escape the drop again.
Thanks mate 👍
Top video Max, really well researched. I feel like we have the players to make Jesse's tactics work, but it's individual errors that keep costing us. The free attacker at the back post is Under 11's stuff, but we continually appear to be caught out with it. I'm hoping that Bamford back fit and leading the press from the front, a bit more solidity with Wes and Tyler, and Wober marshalling the back four and the spine of the team looks solid
I have ended up here as a Leicester fan with Jesse looking likely to take charge of us. Quite interesting, I am a little less pessimistic now so thanks but I am still concerned with the defensive side which you have mentioned has cost you at times. Great video and I did have to laugh when I saw the date this was posted then checked that Marsch was sacked 3 days later!
Hi mate, yeah in theory Marsch system doesn't sound bad, and it has worked for him before at Salzburg. A lot of us leeds fans think that is only because he had the best players in the league. At Leeds we struggled badly under him to retain possession and our passing stats were awful. There is too much emphasis on how fast the counter attacks should be and the team ends up panicking and losing the ball far too often. The only reason we stayed up last season was the quality of Raphinha and Jack Harrison being able to get us over the line. I'm quite positive so I tried to back Marsch no matter what, but in the end he was not providing anywhere near enough points, we hadn't won a game in so long in the league that he had to go. I worry for Leicester should they appoint him, if they stay up it could be more to do with individual talent than Coaching!
@@LeedsLately not filling me with optimism there 😂 I think we have the quality to stay up but the players are totally devoid of confidence so as long as he can motivate them we might have a chance but yeah Im hoping it's a short term appointment! 🙈
In straya we have a saying; if you can’t dazzle them with brilliance baffle them with bull sheet
Very nicely done. Really good break down. Really enjoyed it. Great job!
Really good brakedown mate 👍 mot mot ALAW
Excellent content will be concentrating more on the formations when next at ER
Great video
Nice video, Stinger crosses from the half lane hey?
Thoroughly appreciate the time and effort you have invested in this excellent presentation. I enjoyed it immensely.
Great analysis as always, gratitude for the effort!
Brilliant vid
Thanks mate!
Here to see how he’ll do for Canada 🇨🇦
Luv it! Thanx. ALAWMOT.
4231 while pressing defensively and 4222 offensively is a very good system with the players we have now.
It really isn't as results have demonstrated.
I think Diogo Monterio, long term, will be invaluable in reading the game and dealing with problems by nipping them in the bud. Paolo Maldini 'if I have to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake'.
Marsch is adapting his tactics as the season has developed. For example, Meslier at the beginning of the season was trying to play out to his defenders but Meslier looks as if hasn't got the ball skill to do that, often gifting the ball to the opposition. So now, Marsch has instructed to Meslier to clear up field with a big clearance (where the opposition pick up the ball and attack again) away from immediate danger.
He's been doing this all season. Marsch does not want the defence to build up attacks. He wants us to contest the ball close to the opponents' goal.
Nice video 👏
My slight issue is something you mentioned right at the end. We attack in a 424 formation, and especially with Rodrigo, all 4 attackers are trying similar kind of things so they form a horizontal line in front of the defence. With Bamford, he's more able to make runs in behind and more able to play with his back to goal than Rodrigo. This is why he's so important to our team. He is able to vary his play to set up others or create opportunities for himself.
In Jesse's tactical "plan" no player is supposed to run beyond the player with the ball. This is so that they're not out of position if the ball carrier loses the ball.
Well done son 👍now post a link to Jesse?
So for all the Jesse haters maybe it’s not Jesse but it’s the players just need to get to grips with the tactics, as Jesse said in one of the interviews it’s finally coming together the goals will come trust in the system we’ll be fine
You're knowledge is emence and even better still very well communicated, are you a. Coach?
Thanks, Darren, I really appreciate that! No I'm not a coach, I played amateur football up until a year or so ago but never coached!
Great video. The thing is for me, the players just aren’t looking around, it happens all the time. Fullbacks go narrow and don’t look around to see the free man BUT the arriving defensive midfielder ls do it as well and don’t get in position to block the shirt from the edge of the box. It’s endemic in this team. This should have been coached out a LONG time ago. It’s such a shame because going forward the vision is excellent.
Yeah it should be something that they do instinctively as professional footballer but they don't seem to!
Would you entertain McKennie at right CB next to Wober for the Nottingham game?
Worrying signals from Everton's win, we need to show strength and deliver results.
I think Cooper and wober is the best choice for thos game!
Your best video
Thanks Juan, always nice to see you here 🤩
With the addition of Weston, all they need is a quality left back.
Definitely
Playing passes from the back into midfield was Bielsa's tactic. We don't do this under Jesse at all. The defenders are instructed to hoof it. It's all about getting the ball away in the first instance and worry about the second phase later. It's why we're so bad.
I was passing from the back into the midfield by the age of 10, as well. 😁So, there's that. You do realize that many managers borrow from each other and constantly diversify their tactical philosophies, yes? We have more personnel in place to implement. Remember, we cannot outspend many in the top 6, so we have to strategize differently.
Watch a game, and then count how many times Meslier boots it out when he has time on the ball, and when he passes to an open player. THEN come back and say what you have said. Until you have numbers, this is just bloviating.
Yeah sometimes it seem the plan is to boot it upfield hope they can't control it ..win it back move forward.
@@kbone8137 you seem to be saying a lot without saying much at all there.
It was a disaster when we tried to play out from the back last season, though -- IIRC we conceded more goals from losing the ball in our third than any other EPL side. Our defensive players just aren't very good on the ball for the most part.
The other problem is that we have lacked an outlet to go long with Sini/Bamford being out for so long. Hopefully their return, plus the addition of Rutter makes a big difference in this area.
Part of the reason why we can't hold a lead is because we aren't very press resistant at the back, but when we go long the opposing CB/DM vacuums the ball up 95% of the time. Which means that if we abandon our counter press and park the bus we have to defend for extended periods inside our own penalty box. Something we struggle to do effectively
Hi Max, thanks for clarifying our tactics for the fans. I am loving this squad! I’m tired of hearing about Bielsa (legend), so this is ironic. I wanted Bielsa gone in the end, and my reasoning was because he refused to defend zones. We still don’t defend zones, so what have we gained? In fact, the holes seem more gaping than ever before! We can’t afford to have ALL of our defenders forward, nor ALL on the ball. We can play all of the chaotic and manic attacks that you want to in the forward half, but in our own half, we need to be calm, clear-headed, and organised zonally. We are routinely being outflanked, and that’s pretty much the manner in which every battle, EVER, was lost. Every opponent knows that if they switch the ball from within our defensive third, they’re in on goal unmarked!!! Is a back 3 the solution???
Adams just need to play a more disciplined holding role like he did for the USA at the World Cup and like Phillips did for us. His first thought should always be to defend and protect the back four, and at times he goes forward too much and presses high and it leaves gaps.
I think a back 4 but when the ball is on the switch, whichever full back is in the right position tucks In to create a 3 in the defensive phase
3 minutes in and (defensively) this system relies on magic and idiot opponents who can't hit balls into the acres of space created by this pressing system. Every time it doesn't work there's an immediate attacking overlap/over-match even if they don't hit it long. In a lot of cases a double overlap. I've seen game after game where we've been shredded wide and pulled apart like a rotisserie chicken because there's no hope of defending space during the rabid weasel recovery run. While there are teams this will work against (tiki taka impersonators mostly) there needs to be something else so we don't get stuffed by the likes of Brentford. I'd happily swap being confident of beating teams of that level in exchange for losing against every top 5 team. Going forward it's great, a little narrow and one dimensional but it's certainly workable. Also I think the narrowness in attack is more about being able to execute the press more efficiently if possession is conceded, which is a bit weird tbh. Granted I'm old but it just feels so... spreadsheety and feels like it's come out of a computer. If it works, I won't care, obviously, but I'm so sus on it.
The style is more German than anything really, i agree that it can leave us vulnerable but really, there is no perfect game plan, otherwise everyone would be doing it, every team has strengths and weaknesses, our strength is definitely going forward, and because of that we are always going to be slightly weaker defensively, but if we can fix a few small issues we should chop our conceded goals in half!
@@LeedsLately Thanks for the reply, and I agree. I'm not asking for a catennacio, just maybe a little more tactical flexibility to soft press less technical sides so we can defend space and force them to play through on the ground. Whatever I think, Marsch now has to deliver over then next 5 games or else. He seems good for the players so I want this to work.
@@LeedsLately Oh dear... 😅
Eyup man
now with Rodri injured, Bamford need to stay fit (he is a 3 legged horse by this point) and Rutter is untested. If Bam gets injured again and Rutter isnt what we hoped he is, we have a major problem, Gnonto and Sini is gonna score from time to time but neither of them are center forwards (Imagine Gnonto playing alone up front against two massive center defenders) but hopefully some things will go our way, Hell even if everything goes to shit, there might be 3 teams that are worse. Bournemouth is going down, but who will the other 2 be? With Lampard at the helm, Everton would go down but now Im not so sure, will Nott F suffer near the end of the season as the new comer? Will West Ham, Wolves and Southampton continue to be shit? Wolves is a much better team than what they have shown. Lets hope Fulham collapse and go down like they tend to hehe. But Im really fearing the 18th spot, just like I did last season. Wøber has been a blessing and Koch seems more stable with him next by him (you know, Germans..) Time to make Adams our Captain and Wøber vice-captain. Having Cooper and Bamford as leaders isnt enough, they are to quit and stand offish, we need more oomphh. anyway, MOT
Could you imagine if we hadn't signed rutter though, we would be solely reliant on a perpetually injured Bamford and after that maybe untested youth players like perkins and Joseph, so it's a good job we signed rutter!
A great video, I feel you have put more effort in than Marsch actually does 🤣. Not sure he goes in this depth...it's just kick and rush at times. Surely, no one would employ the tactics Leeds do on purpose? 🤣
You or i not knowing or understanding what the tactics are doesn't mean it doesn't exist though mate
@@dau1024 if sat and watched a year of Marschball. And I've seen is get worse, depsite having amuch better squad. The football is awful to watch and it's not getting us anywhere. We have quality wide players that are being wasted. I could coach a team to score against us... Long ball out wide...goal
This has mostly come from the horses mouth, from Marschs own explanation of things, so he is trying to implement this sometimes I do think there are flaws that he causes, but also the players let him down sometimes too
You can't win the ball every time, this produces a gap that we could then be outnumbered and could concede a goal on a break. We play too narrow. When we play wider we score more
Most of the goals and threats to Leeds are created in transition when the opposition break forward and we have two defenders madly scrambling back against 3 or 4 of their attackers eg. Brentford, Toney and Mwuembo. Meslier looks as if he has been instructed to be sweeper but his timing can be awful. Heading out or clattering attacker and risking a red card.
Jessie Marshterclass?
Wonder how Marsch is going to deal with the threat of Brennan Johnson on Sunday?
I hope Forest aren't watching this 😄
You think other clubs don't already know our tactics, they just play us and hope for the best?
Every manager/team watches loads of tape. Remaining fluid and diversfying tactically is key. It's about 1-2 nets most of the time.
I enjoyed the video but I'm sceptical that we have scored many goals from "stinger crosses" or any sort of crosses.
And nobody can play as fast as Jesse wants lol. It's relative to the opposition. When you're Salzburg you're sufficiently better than the other team that you are moving sufficiently quicker than them.
I am sorry that I didn't like your discussion of rest defence because actually Jesse's tactical plan is ALL rest defence. Do you remember Graham Turner? You aren't really old enough but it's clear that this whole tactic derives from his guru (whose name I can't remember). His whole thing was that most goals come within like three passes. And Marsch has taken that to its ultimate. It's all about transitions, turning it over when the opponent cannot reorganise quickly enough, giving space at the edge of the box. Rodrigo is feasting because this system gives him the opportunity to shoot from the edge of the box. He does not pop in "stinger crosses" lol.
Yes but rodrigo or the striker isn't the person who will be doing that, we saw Harrison do one against accrington and sinisterra scored from it, it is the RAM and LAM if you will that will be doing that.
@@LeedsLately Yes, you're right. Rodrigo has done it when he's dropped back to pick up the ball but he's looking to get a "wide" player with a bit of space against a disorganised defence. It does work. We've seen it. But you have to ask yourself how happy you are when so many of our goals are a moment of magic. I mean, it's great to see! But we've had more than a few games where the opposition just didn't allow anyone to get free.
Also this is fine when we are trying to go 1-0 up. But once we do, Jesse's doesn't know how to control a game, how to pass the ball around and slow the game down, that's why we can not keep a lead. Over a year and it's still the same... He's just not tactically aware. With him in charge we won't go anywhere. Time for him to go.
I guess the board didn't see his tactis and philosophy as sustainable. Not surprising tho
So the opposition now has a detailed insight....hmmm?
Haha I think premier league clubs already have all this information on all the other clubs
It's never going to work long term another issue with marsch is using subs too late to be effective, still lacking a left back, and centre backs now, if we get injuries at the back we have a real problem