jesse marsch leeds united
Cameron Toshack has admitted that he walked into a “really challenging situation” when he joined as Jesse Marsch’s assistant coach at Leeds United. Toshack was appointed as Marsch’s right-hand man in 2022 as he arrived at Elland Road with the Whites just two points clear of the relegation zone. Marcelo Bielsa’s departure had seen Leeds pick up just one point from their last six matches under the Argentine, conceding 17 times in their last four games prior to his dismissal. Despite the uphill battle Toshack faced, he has revealed that he leaned on his time as Pafos head coach after guiding the Cypriot side to safety in his role with them as head coach.
Cameron Toshack said: “The challenge we had when we went in, we had a group of people that were on a real low, there were a lot of injuries. We had to be super positive and get everyone to be the best version of themselves for 12 games. We went into a really challenging situation, they were in real trouble. A little bit like the Cyprus example, I went in there when they were struggling. That’s something a lot of people would say ‘let’s just wait until the end of the season and see’. I actually quite enjoy going into things and helping improve things. Is it risky? Yes, of course it is. But Jesse and I spoke about it, it was something that he was really all in to try to do and turn around, with the goal of keeping Leeds United in the Premier League, which we managed to do on the last day of the season. We brought in new blood with the likes of Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, international players who are familiar with the style of football. We started off really well in the Premier League, when you beat the likes of Chelsea and you go to Anfield and win, you’re doing something right. Where I think we were a little bit unfortunate sometimes, you look at the metrics in football, and I get that there’s only one metric that counts in the end, that’s winning games, but the processes that sit behind it, expected goals for example, the last game we played against Nottingham Forest, we were expected to score four more than they did, and yet they won 1-0. That can be the harsh reality of football, certainly in the Premier League. The margins are so tight. When you’re on top you have to get reward for your work. Arsenal at home, expected goals for us, 2.5, expected goals for them, one. We miss a penalty, they score a goal and win 1-0. Those are the margins.”
