Jesse Marsch was sacked by Leeds United in February 2023 after a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest and Tyler Adams has shared whether Leeds would have stayed up, if Marsch remained in the job.
Marsch had worked with Adams at New York Red Bulls and then Leipzig in Germany, before bringing the midfielder to Elland Road in the summer of 2022 where Adams played 26 times before an injury struck.
An issue that has continued to hamper Adams during the 2023-24 season following his move to Premier League side Bournemouth. The USA skipper managed just four games for Bournemouth last season.
Marsch of course was sacked in February 2023 with Leeds in a precarious position around the bottom three. Michael Skubala, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce followed but Leeds were eventually relegated.
Adams on whether Leeds would have stayed up with Marsch
Marsch was perhaps lucky to be in a job going into the new year but a stunning win over Liverpool, followed by a 4-3 comeback victory against Adams’ new side Bournemouth kept the American employed.
The World Cup break would have suited Leeds perfectly, sack Marsch and find a replacement. But the board decided to keep faith with Marsch given he secured wins over Liverpool and Bournemouth.
Speaking to The Mail, Adams thinks Leeds would have stayed up if Andrea Radrizzani had not pulled the plug. Something which led Marsch to accuse Radrizzani of losing his nerve, with him in the dugout.
“We were actually in a good position when Jesse got fired. I thought that if we just continued the way that we were going, we would have stayed up,” Adams claimed, which is sure to cause some disagreement.
There is no chance Leeds would have stayed up with Marsch
There were so many flaws with Marsch as manager. On the pitch, his insistence to play 100 miles per hour football and to attack without any width caused problems and leaving Leeds vulnerable on the counter.
Off the pitch, Marsch was bizarre in press conferences. The mentioning of Mother Teresa is just one example of a number of ridiculous comments made in front of the media, living up to the stereotype.
Marsch struggled in his role at Leeds and should have been sacked before Christmas, giving Leeds the time and space to find the right successor. Managers would have been more tempted to take over, too.