Former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch is back in the thick of work again, now in charge of the Canada national team as they take on the Copa America.
Leeds’ changes in manager during their time in the Premier League was a key issue that helped contribute to the slide into relegation.
Jesse Marsch was one of those who tried and failed to stop Leeds’ slide, albeit delaying the inevitable admirably by a year with survival in 2022, before the cracks in the armour became gaping holes exploited week on week.
Jesse Marsch’s Canada Copa America journey starts with defeat to Lionel Messi’s Argentina
Marsch couldn’t have started his newest job, in charge of the Canada national team, couldn’t have been much more difficult.
Their Copa America campaign kicked off against World Champions Argentina, and to no surprise, Lionel Messi’s side got off to a winning start as the forward shone, with Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez netting.
A 2-0 defeat for Marsch’s Canada wasn’t a total disaster in the opening game, and they now look to clashes against Peru and Chile.
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Jesse Marsch’s full-time assessment sounds quite familiar
It’s not as if Marsch will have been expected by the Canadian fans or the higher-ups to mastermind Argentina, but even still, the American was enthused by what he saw.
Speaking after the game, Marsch said this about their spirited display that gained admiration from those watching on (via Joshua Kloke):
“We’re performing better than I had hoped but we’re making more simple mistakes than I hoped.
“I’m not too concerned about not finishing. I know that over time those when you get those kinds of quality chances that you’re going to score enough goals and we have enough quality on the pitch.”
He’s right in what he says by all accounts of how the Canadians fared against arguably the toughest opponents in the world.
Juxtapose those quotes with the ones after his first Leeds game, and it’s a familiar picture of ‘encouragement’ (via the Guardian):
“It was a real simple message: just that this was very positive and a big step in the right direction.
“I want them to know how strong that was, how good that was. We’ve got to relieve the stress a little bit. I told them: ‘If we keep playing like this, we’re going to get all the points we need.’ The only negative is the result. What a great first step.”
Leeds were decent in Marsch’s first game away at Leicester, losing 1-0 through Harvey Barnes of course, but the finishing troubles in Canada’s first game were worrying in that King Power defeat too – Leeds should have had two or three that day.
Under Marsch against the good sides, Leeds fans left a lot of games saying ‘well if we play like that against the lesser teams, we’ll be fine’, and Canadians will be feeling likewise, but those performances never came against similar-level opposition.
Organising an energetic press in the first game of the tournament by Marsch is more praise than can be given to a certain manager at the Euro’s though.